Following an entirely vegan diet may be significantly better for the environment than the Mediterranean diet, according to new research published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. The study also indicated positive outcomes related to weight loss, insulin sensitivity, and cholesterol levels for those eating vegan.
A vegan diet eschews all animal products. Mediterranean diets, meanwhile, exclude all red meat and are largely plant-based but include some fish, chicken, and dairy. For this study, Italy-based researchers compared the environmental footprints of the two diets using a life cycle assessment—an analysis of the environmental impacts of products during their entire life cycle. They found that although animal products only make up about 10% of the average Mediterranean diet, their inclusion makes the diet significantly less environmentally friendly than it would be without any animal products: By the researchers’ calculations, vegan diets produce 44% less environmental impact. The assessment was based on a theoretical 2,000-calorie diet.
Master plant-based cooking with Forks
Get 25% off through February 21
“Despite the low content of animal foods, the Mediterranean diet has shown a total environmental impact higher than that of the vegan diet,” says Luciana Baroni, MD, one of the study’s authors. “The diet of each person is important because it represents the most powerful single action to affect the health of the environment. We won’t get very far as a species if the environment poisons us, makes us sick, and doesn’t provide us with the resources to survive. Unfortunately, people don’t know this, because they only hear recommendations,at most, to reduce meat consumption to combat climate change.”
Eating Healthfully to Protect the Planet
A growing body of research underlines how cutting meat and dairy products can help better protect the planet from climate change and pollution. Another 2023 study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, concluded that vegan diets are the least environmentally damaging diet.
The study found that vegan diets generate 0.7 kg of carbon dioxide per 1,000 calories consumed whereas a meat-heavy diet, such as keto, generates 3 kg of carbon per 1,000 calories. Additionally, a study published in The Lancet Planetary Health in 2022 found that healthier foods such as plants, grains, fruits, and vegetables offer the lowest environmental impact, signifying a correlating relationship between foods that are good for human health and good for the planet.
By contrast, diets primarily featuring animal products, especially beef, present significant threats to the environment. Animal products require 83% of the planet’s farmland, despite only producing 18% of the world’s calories. Overall, research indicates that animal products, even in low-meat diets such as in the Mediterranean, produce notable environmental consequences, such as wasted energy and excessive methane emissions.
“Research agrees that the consumption of animal foods is the main determinant of the environmental impact of a diet,” Baroni says. “Switching to a vegan diet is not only the most powerful action any of us can do for the planet but also the cheapest and the easiest.”
To learn more about a whole-food, plant-based diet, visit our Plant-Based Primer. For meal-planning support, check out Forks Meal Planner, FOK’s easy weekly meal-planning tool to keep you on a healthy plant-based path.
Credit: Source link
Our two new videos on Parkinson’s disease released this month addressed the question, If we have known for decades that Parkinson’s is manifested by a dopamine deficiency in the brain, why not eat a dopamine diet? The dopamine in foods can’t actually cross the blood-brain barrier, but its precursor, levodopa (L-dopa), can and is then able to be converted into dopamine. Dr. Greger found interesting data on velvet and fava (or broad) beans, which both contain L-dopa. The information on velvet beans looked promising at first, but there are some hurdles to its use—including its nasty taste.
Fibromyalgia has long been dismissed as a psychological phenomenon, but it’s now understood to be a disorder of pain regulation and sensitization. If pain is typically caused by inflammation, does an anti-inflammatory diet help reduce the effects of fibromyalgia? A recent study found that on a plant-based diet, perceived pain decreased an average of three points (on a ten-point scale), falling from an average of five or six points down to just two out of ten. The study didn’t have a control group, but there’s no downside to giving healthier eating a try—not only to help with fibromyalgia pain, but for a whole host of other concerns.
Vinegar has been shown to help accelerate weight loss, reduce cholesterol, act as a disinfectant, and blunt spikes in blood sugar and insulin after meals. Since insulin resistance has been suggested as one possible cause of polycystic ovaries and we know vinegar can improve insulin resistance, could it also benefit those suffering from PCOS? A tiny study using one tablespoon a day showed improvement for about half of the participants. The jury is still out, but this suggests that vinegar may help, so why not give it a try? Whatever your reason for taking a daily dose of vinegar, remember to never drink it straight, as it can cause second-degree caustic burns down your throat.
Two years ago, Dr. Greger made a video about his then-favorite breakfast, the Cran-Chocolate Pomegranate BROL Bowl. He still loves it, but with pomegranate season waning once again, he’s on a new kick: groatnola! What’s that? Whole-food granola made with buckwheat groats, sweet potatoes, and spices. Give it a try, and let us know what you think!
Tea tree oil has antifungal and antibacterial properties, as shown in videos such as Does Tea Tree Oil Work for Dandruff and Athlete’s Foot? and Do Natural and DIY Tea Tree Oil Cleaning Products Disinfect as Well as Bleach?. Warts and cold sores, on the other hand, are caused by viruses, so does tea tree work on those conditions? Maybe on warts (at least in a singular case report), but not on cold sores.
In this three-blog series, starting with What Is the Gladiator Diet and How Do Vegetarian Athletes Stack Up?, Dr. Greger looked at the history of vegetarian athletes and how they stacked up to their omnivorous competition. Top groups of athletes, from ancient Romans and Greeks to modern-day Olympic runners, have been known to eat largely plant-based diets. Overall, most studies have found little difference between vegetarian and omnivore athletes when it comes to cardio or strength fitness. Since extensive research has shown that a plant-based diet has the benefit of greater long-term health outcomes, it seems like a winning choice. 
This month’s spotlight is all about bone health. Do people eating plant-based have greater bone loss? Does animal protein intake lead to bone loss? What is the relationship between milk consumption and rates of hip fractures? Check out the podcast for answers to those questions and more. In a nutshell, though, for the strongest bones, eat plenty of phytonutrient-packed plant foods and incorporate weight-bearing exercise.
