Widespread adaptation of healthier diets would markedly reduce the environmental impact of agriculture and food production, according to new research from the University of Minnesota and Oxford University.
For the first time, researchers have tied the health impacts of foods to their overall environmental impact. The report, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), concludes that foods with positive health outcomes have among the lowest environmental impacts, while other foods, such as red meat, can be especially harmful to both.
“The foods making up our diets have a large impact on both ourselves and our environment. This study shows that eating healthier also means eating more sustainably,” said David Tilman, professor of ecology, evolution and behavior at the University of Minnesota College of Biological Sciences.
“Normally, if a food product is good for one aspect of a person’s health, it’s better for other health outcomes, as well. The same holds for environmental outcomes.”
The researchers explored how 15 different food groups are, on average, associated with five different health outcomes and five aspects of environmental degradation.
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