How Today’s Popular Diets Align with Global Health and Environmental Targets?

By Steph Gregory, head of health coaching at Embla   The Atkins diet First, we have the Atkins diet, a popular diet for weight loss and controlling blood glucose levels, which has gained a lot of traction with those who have Type 2 Diabetes. There have also been health claims that following Atkins reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. In terms of environmental factors, this can be very person-dependent, as the encouragement to eat more fish and plant sources could be beneficial if choosing sustainably sourced fish and locally grown vegetables. But, this also could increase air miles of food, as most low-carbohydrate vegetables are only in season during the summer months and would only be consistently available in the supermarkets year-round. Plus, the encouragement of increased meat consumption has a negative impact on the environment due to the volume of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions released during the rearing of livestock. If fish is not sourced sustainably, this would only add to the exploitation of overfishing in fisheries, where over 90% of fisheries are already overfished.   Plant-based diet Next up are plant-based diets. This can be a very loose term, as people could be following a strict vegan diet or just aiming to increase their plant-based intakes in their overall diets. Most individuals increasing their plant-based consumption have also seen higher levels of energy and improved gut health, which in turn has increased bowel functions. There are many positive impacts on the environment by eating more plant-based foods. Reducing or no longer eating meat, fish, dairy, and/or eggs significantly reduces the individual’s GHG impact, reducing the air miles that food travels as most staples in a plant-based diet can be locally sourced and produced in the UK. But this can also vary from person to person and their knowledge of environmental impacts and how far transporting fruit and vegetables can be for a lot of produce. If individuals buy more pre-packaged produce from supermarkets, they could likely maintain high air miles to obtain the foods they consume. This can also lead to the increased consumption of meat alternatives, which, although it will reduce GHG emissions, increases the single-use plastics and packaging, plus the transport of ingredients to make the products.   Mediterranean diet Next up, the Mediterranean diet, which has increased in popularity over the years with research suggesting it is the healthiest diet in the world for your heart health. It significantly reduces cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease. Focusing on eating little to no red meat, more lean meats and oily fish, moderate consumption of dairy products, plenty of fruit and vegetables and sources of healthy fats like avocados and olive oil. There are many positives to this way of eating, with the focus on varieties of fruits and vegetables and the origins of the diet focussing on locally produced, sustainably sourced fish and lean meats. For the UK, this could have a negative environmental factor, with the majority of the healthy fat sources being imported from the Mediterranean or warmer climates, which increases the air miles. As this diet uses a lot of fresh produce, back to the origins the food was bought daily or a few times per week whilst at its freshest, which may not work for a lot of individuals but also opens up more food waste if the produce bought is not eaten in time or not prepped and stored correctly. Furthermore, the Mediterranean diets usually consist of fish, considered a good source of essential nutrients. However, there are ecological issues associated with consuming fish. The United Nations has warned that 90% of the world’s fish stocks are currently either overexploited or depleted.   Flexitarian diet Another popular diet that’s popped up over the last few years is the flexitarian diet. This diet focuses on individuals reducing their overall consumption of animal products and almost dipping their toe into being vegetarian or vegan, but in a way that works for their lifestyle or slowly adopting new eating habits. Health-wise, just like plant-based diets, eating more plant sources has a positive impact on reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease. From an environmental point of view, flexitarian diets encourage more fruit, vegetables, and plant sources to be eaten and aim to look at locally produced and seasonal produce. The ideals are also based around focusing on the quality of the produce for animal products too, so grass-fed and free-range livestock, locally sourced free-range eggs, and sustainably sourced fish - pushing the importance of change for the environment. The negatives are the same as the plant-based diets, with it being the choice of the individual how much they follow the above and look at the locality and sourcing of their produce, and are not sourcing produce from supermarkets with extra air miles and packaging processes.   High-protein diet There has been a recent surge in the popularity of high-protein diets, with many companies promoting their products as ‘high in protein’. This is because protein is essential for good health. However, the source of protein you choose can have a significant impact on your health, the economy and the environment. Proteins can be divided into two groups: animal and plant. Animal proteins, like meat, cheese and eggs, are considered ‘complete’ proteins as they contain all of the essential amino acids. Plant-based protein-rich foods include lentils, legumes, pulses, tofu, and other soya products. It is important to ensure that our diet includes a variety of different protein sources to ensure that we get a range of essential nutrients and also reduce the negative impact on the planet. This means we should avoid increasing our meat consumption to meet our protein needs and instead opt for more plant-based protein sources. Animal protein is an extremely inefficient use of the Earth’s resources. Research has shown that it takes almost 100 times more land to produce one gram of protein from beef or lamb, as compared to peas or tofu. Additionally, it requires nearly 15,500l of water to produce 1kg of beef, compared to 1,670 l for 1kg of rice.   More diet options The DASH diet, which stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension, and other plant-centred diets could be a crucial and effective way to lower the production of greenhouse gases (GHGs) linked to food consumption, as we have discussed earlier. Most of the climate impact caused by food production is due to methane, which ruminant animals emit during digestion, and nitrous oxide, which is released from the land during tilling. A study conducted on older UK adults found that diets that were most in accordance with DASH had a significantly lower greenhouse gas impact than the least accordant diets. Additionally, it is important to consider which wholefoods are in season within the UK as importing foods can lead to higher carbon emissions. Meal kits, which deliver pre-portioned ingredients and instructions for cooking meals at home, have become increasingly popular. These services allow people to cook fresh meals confidently at home by following easy step-by-step recipes. Additionally, they have been proven to have a more sustainable impact than purchasing and cooking food from retailers. When considering diets and environmental impact, individual choices emerge as key players. As we navigate health-conscious eating and environmental responsibility, it is crucial to strike a balance for a healthier planet and individual wellbeing.   For more health coaching topics check out Embla.    Check out our Food for the Soul feature in each issue which you can subscribe to here.