Are You Interested in the Planetary Health Diet?

Conscious eating isn’t just a lifestyle—it’s a movement. And it can take different shapes. 

Many people take on conscious diets because it’s good for their bodies. But what if it wasn’t just good for you, but for the earth as well?

Enter the planetary health diet. 

This diet is high in quality plant-based foods because, from an environmental standpoint, they’re more sustainable to produce. 

Here’s a general outline of how prominently different foods are featured in the planetary health diet:

High

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• Nuts
• Legumes
• Whole grains
• Unsaturated plant oils

Low-to-moderate 

• meat
• dairy
• other animal-based foods

Low 

• Saturated fats
• Sugar
• Refined grains 

With a planetary health diet, when looking at your plate, half the plate should feature fruits, vegetables, and nuts with the other half consisting of whole grains, plant proteins, and small amounts of meat and dairy.¹ Vegan and vegetarian diets are considered healthy versions of the planetary health diet.

Sustainable Eating

The planetary health diet hasn’t been generally recognized for long. In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health was formed to look at the environmental and health impacts of the planetary health diet.¹ The Commission has found many health benefits. 

According to a 2024 study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that followed more than 200,000 people for 34 years, higher adherence to the planetary health diet had a substantially lower environmental impact with 51% lower cropland used, 29% lower greenhouse gas emissions, and 21% lower fertilizer needs.²

Plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, peas, nuts, and lentils are climate friendly foods because they typically use less energy, land, and water and have lower greenhouse gas emissions than animal-based foods which are associated with the highest greenhouse gas emissions.²

Health Benefits of the Planetary Health Diet

The fact that the planetary health diet has such significant benefits is enough to merit its use, but it’s an added bonus that it’s also great for your body. That 2024 study in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that those who closely adhered to the planetary health diet had a 30% lower risk of premature death from every major cause than individuals who did not follow the diet.³

A study from 2023 also found that adherence to a planetary health diet reduced the risk of chronic disease and premature death.⁴

So if you’re looking for a diet that’s not only good for you but also good for the environment, consider trying the planetary health diet. You can start slowly by adding more plant-foods while reducing portion sizes of meat and dairy. Remember, fruits and vegetables should be the focus with meat being more of a side dish. Happy eating, happy planet!

References

1. Lancet. The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health. Accessed 2024, Jul 11. https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/
2. United Nations. Food and climate change: healthy diets for a healthier planet. Accessed 2024, Jul 11. https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/food
3. Bui LP, Pham TT, Wang F, et al. Planetary health diet index and risk of total and cause specific mortality in three prospective cohorts.
4. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2024;120(1):80-91. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0002916524003897?via%3Dihub
5. Ye Y, Geng T, Zhou Y, et al. Adherence to a planetary health diet, environmental impacts, and mortality in Chinese adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(10). https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2810988