By Azmina Govindji RD MBDA.

100 excited participants joined a live Zoom event on 10 December 2020 to hear esteemed Professor Pieter van’t Veer from Wageningen University, the Netherlands, speak about the principles of sustainable eating. He took delegates through a journey of the EAT-Lancet global reference diet, how one diet cannot fit all countries, and shared insights from a unique mathematical model that can encompass nutrition, environmental sustainability and realistic improvements in dietary intake.

What are Sustainable Diets?

According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, a sustainable eating plan needs to have a low impact on the environment, and contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. They need to be:

• protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems;
• culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable;
• nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy;
• while optimising natural and human resources.

Professor van’t Veer remarks that “the venom is in the tail” – the last sentence around optimising natural and human resources needs to take cultural acceptability into account and this has appeared to be a much more difficult task.

One Size does not Fit All

The global recommendation by EAT Lancet suggests we should limit red meat and starchy vegetables and that there should be optional use of eggs, poultry and dairy foods. Foods to increase include fish, vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and nuts. However, it’s crucial to recognise that the EAT Lancet diet is a global reference diet – for people to make improvements in their diet we must consider, among other things, food preferences and culture.

This presentation focussed mainly on red meat and dairy. Eat Lancet  states that the intake of red meat is generally too high, especially in the western world. With dairy, we see the reverse: for most regions of the world, dairy should increase, but it needs to go down in North America and the USA.

This indicates that the implications for national diet recommendations are different by region, by food culture, and even for different people. Dietitians are uniquely trained to tailor a more sustainable diet to the individual, so the global reference diet obviously needs adjustment in clinical practice.

What works for the consumer?

Food preferences and taste, but also price and convenience are highly relevant to our food choices.

In a European survey, consumers were asked about acceptability of a range of products that could be used as alternatives for meat. They were most open to animal-based alternatives, which of course is not the best result in terms of sustainability. They were less open to plant alternatives, and the least to new protein sources like insects and in vitro meat.

Another study looked into taste patterns of the Dutch diet. The results implied that the taste profile of the most healthy and sustainable diet was less savoury, with fewer umami, salty and bitter flavour notes. Thus, a healthy and sustainable diet is a relatively dull diet and less pleasurable to eat.

The SHARP-diet project for European cultures

SHARP is an acronym for: Sustainable, Health, Affordable, Reliable and Preferable.

Data was collated data from about 8,000 adults in 4 EU countries. A mathematical model was developed, based on realistic and likely dietary changes for each population. Food based dietary guidelines (FBDG) were used and portion sizes were not specified, so the model allows the change to be tailored to the individual.

*These four micronutrients were added to the model to make up for nutrient shortfalls.

The modelling approach used in this study builds on what is actually consumed in a population, by different people. This model combines best practice diets to improve nutrient density, to minimise greenhouse gas emissions and to create minimal change to regular dietary and cultural practices. Peer groups are used to help motivate people towards better choices.

The model uses FBDGs to select the peers in the survey data that do better than you. These are indicated with green circles. So your peers provide you with best practice in terms of dietary choices, enabling a culturally and socially appropriate learning medium and reference point for people to use as a realistic goal.

Because the model is not primarily based on foods, but on actual combinations of foods and recipes that people actually use in daily life, the modelled diets are much more likely to be acceptable, tasty and affordable

Modelled diets were shown to have fruit and vegetable consumption patterns in between the observed current diet and the EAT Lancet recommendations. There was a shift from beef to pork, poultry, fish and plant-based  protein sources.

All dairy is not created equal

Liquid diary has a different nutrition profile to cheese and the SHARP model differentiated between these with interesting results:

On average, the model shows that liquid dairy can increase by 28%, whereas cheese needs to be reduced. There are considerable differences between countries because the model uses best practices from peers, and thus the diet shift depends on the national food culture.

The Future of our Planet is on our Plates

Professor van’t Veer closed his presentation with a few key conclusions:

• Eat less (bearing in mind needs of vulnerable groups and physical activity levels)
• Increase plant foods and shift away from ruminant meat to pork, chicken and fish.
• Give consideration to dairy nutrients such as vitamin B2 and calcium, as well as vitamin B12 and zinc
• Sustainable nutrition is about quantity and quality, within parameters of social disparities, affordability, acceptability and taste.
• The ‘green protein’ transition involves the total diet and nutrient adequacy needs to be monitored

Thank you to Azmina Govindji for this synthesis.

Azmina Govindji RD MBDA, Founder of Azmina Nutrition, is an award-winning dietitian, consultant nutritionist, international speaker and best-selling author. She is a media spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association and is regularly quoted in the national press.

You can follow her on twitter, linkedin or instagram.

At the Yogurt In Nutrition Initiative, we look forward to a more sustainable 2020 and we bring you 12 food resolutions to protect our health and our planet! For the last resolution of this year, what about rediscovering home cooking?

What about more home cooking and trying some traditional recipes?

During the last 50 years, the industrialization of food production has increased and sometimes led to more called “ultra-processed food”, which can be defined, according to some publications, as industrial formulations with 5 or more ingredients. Such ingredients often include sweeteners, oils, fats, salt, antioxidants, stabilizers, and preservatives (ingredients that we won’t have in our kitchen).  Yet, a FAO & WHO report suggests that limiting the amount of highly processed food in diet may be part of a healthy and environmentally-conscious diet. Indeed, switching to a more flexitarian diet is associated with a decrease of 69% of the consumption of ultra-processed foods and also associated with a 38% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (also explained by a decrease of red meat and veal consumption).

In fact, it seems that doing more home cooking should help us eat more sustainably.

In order to change eating habits and food choices, one strategy would be to cook and prepare our own meals! We can surprise ourselves by finding new recipes on blogs and specialized websites. No need to be a good cook to make simple and healthy recipes. And it is not about stopping all processed food, it is about rebalancing the diet with traditional homemade meal.

Besides, home cooking can provide great opportunities to nurture healthy and sustainable eating habits for our children. Cook with the kids and enjoy this moment together! Create happy memories related to healthy eating habits. Childhood is the time to lay the foundations of long-term healthy eating habits. It is an ideal moment for them to observe, discuss, imitate, ask, and learn about food. Engaging children in meal preparation, eating at regular times, sharing the same meal between parents and children… These may contribute to a more balanced diet afterwards. Even if it is tempting, particularly as working parents, to spend less time preparing meals and to serve easy-to-prepare/fast food to their children, it is important to prepare meals yourself. Therefore, the quality and quantity of foods available at home are playing a great role in the eating behaviors and health of all family members:

• Limit access to high-energy foods, if there’s no nutritional value associated.
• Make healthy foods the easy option (prepare healthy foods, peel and cut fruit to encourage people to eat them…).
• Make healthy foods the happy option (include healthy foods at the center of happy occasions such as family celebrations or birthdays, this can help thinking of healthy foods as happy foods).

For more information, check out our Q&A about sustainable:

• What is a sustainable diet?
• What is a flexitarian diet? 

You may also like to try some of our recipes:

• Labneh pesto tapenade 
• Carrott Kohlrabi fritters 
• Chicken curry and vegetables
• Homemade pizza with yogurt-based dough 
• Fig and honey yogurt loaf cake

Sources:

• FAO & WHO. Sustainable healthy diets guidelines principles. 2019.

• Willett W, Rockström J, Loken B, et al. EAT-Lancet Commission Summary report: Food in the anthropocene: the EAT– Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. Lancet. 2019;393(10170):447-492.

• Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy RB, Moubarac JC, Louzada ML, Rauber F, Khandpur N, Cediel G, Neri D, Martinez-Steele E, Baraldi LG, Jaime PC. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public health Nutrition. 2019.

• Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition. 2016. Food systems and diets: Facing the challenges of the 21st century. London, UK.

IN A NUTSHELL: This study published in the Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition summarizes a large number of articles to explore the controversy that dairy products may have adverse effects on long-term bone health, associated with a greater risk of fracture. However, the lack of data makes it impossible to conclude on a significant effect.

Abstract

Source: Wallace TC, Bailey RL, Lappe J, O’Brien KO, Wang DD, Sahni S, Weaver CM. Dairy intake and bone health across the lifespan: a systematic review and expert narrative. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2020 Sep 14:1-47. 

To go further, we may have some documents for you:

• Dietary calcium better than supplements for bone health
• Milk and yogurt consumption are linked with higher bone mineral density
• Osteoporosis: bone health in childhood is a critical window according to AAP

Many of us are facing tough choices over what we eat in our efforts to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. After all, it’s not easy to cut back on the foods we like most. But now good news comes from an Australian study which suggests that, among the family favourites, dairy foods may play a key role in diets that have a low environmental impact.

In fact, some people eat nutrient-rich dairy foods every day while achieving a diet with low greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE).     

Although dietary guidelines point to the nutritional value and health benefits of dairy products, recommendations based on sustainability suggest that we should reduce our consumption of animal-source foods.

So, how much dairy should we be eating? It’s all a matter of getting the balance right, say the authors.

A high-quality diet with low greenhouse gas emissions

Using data from the 2011–2013 Australian Health Survey, this study examined findings from 1,732 adults whose diet was a higher quality (37% higher) and associated with lower GHGE (43% lower) compared with the average Australian adult diet.

On average, this group, called the HQLE subgroup, consumed about 1.5 servings of dairy foods (milk, cheese and yogurt) and a small quantity of non-dairy alternatives (0.04 serving) daily.

Dairy foods are an important source of nutrients in a low GHGE diet

Within this HQLE group those who consumed the most dairy foods (n=489; average of 3.16 servings daily) were more likely to achieve recommended intakes of protein and a wide range of vitamins and minerals than those with a low-dairy diet. For example, 95% of these high-dairy diets met the recommended intake for protein, 96% for vitamin B₁₂ and 74% for calcium, compared with 72%, 47% and 5%, respectively, of low-dairy HQLE diets (n=603; average of 0.31 serving daily).

Dairy avoiders need to be aware of nutritional risks

The HQLE subgroup contained 90 diets of dairy avoiders. Of these diets, 74% met the recommended intake for protein, 61% for vitamin B₁₂ and only 22% for calcium. People who avoid dairy products for perceived health reasons should be made aware of the nutritional risks and need to take this into account in planning their meals, say the authors.

‘These results underscore the critical role of dairy foods in achieving adequate nutrient intake within the context of a healthy and lower GHG emission dietary pattern.’ – Ridoutt et al, 2020.

Current Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend 2.5 servings of dairy and non-dairy alternatives daily for people aged 19–50-years, and up to 4 servings per day for women aged 70 years and older.

Find out more: read the original article

Ridoutt BG, Baird D, Hendrie GA et al. The role of dairy foods in lower greenhouse gas emission and higher diet quality dietary patterns. Eur J Nutr. 2020 Apr 10.