Kerri WaldronHow to Eat More Sustainably
“We suspected the negative climate impacts [of keto and paleo diets] because they’re meat-centric,” said Diego Rose, the study’s senior author. 34 percent of greenhouse gases come from the food system, a major share of those coming from meat production, according to a study published in Nature (7).
Beef is responsible for eight to ten times more emissions than chicken production, and over 20 times more than common plant-based alternatives like beans (8). This is exactly why many are leaning towards plant-based options.
“Climate change is arguably one of the most pressing problems of our time, and a lot of people are interested in moving to a plant-based diet,” said Rose. “Based on our results, that would reduce your footprint and be generally healthy.” If a third of those on omnivore diets began eating a vegetarian diet on any given day, it would be the equivalent of eliminating 340 million passenger vehicle miles, per the study.
“Our research also shows there’s a way to improve your health and footprint without giving up meat entirely,” Rose adds. According to the study, when those on omnivorous diets opted for plant-forward Mediterranean or fatty meat-limiting DASH diet versions, both carbon footprints and nutritional quality scores improved.
Source: honehealth.com
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