A newly published review by Pashaei et al. (2024) concludes that the mushroom is a good nutritional and environmental meat substitute as it has less environmental impact, including lower carbon, water, and land footprints compared to red meat, including beef and mutton (lamb) (Pashaei et al., 2024). Nutritional benefits of mushrooms In terms of mushrooms’Continue reading “Edible mushrooms as an alternative to animal protein for having a more sustainable diet”
Category Archives: Environmental Footprint
New study highlights freezer’s potential to reduce food waste and greenhouse gas emissions
“A national survey found that discarded frozen items make up about 6% of wasted household food in the United States. Based on frozen food’s relatively small contribution to food waste and other findings in the study, researchers say urging consumers to stock their freezers might be one way to prevent premature disposal of food. Results showedContinue reading “New study highlights freezer’s potential to reduce food waste and greenhouse gas emissions”
Beans and peas rank as best meat and milk replacement from nutritional, health, environmental and cost perspectives: New study
Beans and peas rank best as meat and milk replacement from nutritional, health, environmental, and cost perspectives, a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has found. “They outperformed processed products like veggie burgers and plant milks, but also lab-grown meat which ranked worst.” (Springmann, 2024; Environmental InstituteContinue reading “Beans and peas rank as best meat and milk replacement from nutritional, health, environmental and cost perspectives: New study”
EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet lowers risk of premature death and environmental impact: New research
Persons who “eat a healthy, sustainable diet may substantially lower their risk of premature death in addition to their environmental impact, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It is the first large study to directly evaluate the impacts of adherence to recommendations in the landmark 2019 EAT-Lancet report.”Continue reading “EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet lowers risk of premature death and environmental impact: New research”
Towards a more holistic understanding of sustainable diets: An ecological public health approach
According to a recent scoping review titled, “Global dietary patterns are not sustainable” published in the journal Nutrition Reviews, a more holistic understanding of the concept ‘sustainable diets’ is needed. There is broad consensus that consumers must be encouraged to shift toward sustainable diets, defined by Burlingame and Dermini (2010) as: “diets with low environmentalContinue reading “Towards a more holistic understanding of sustainable diets: An ecological public health approach”
Foodwise: A kid’s guide on fighting food waste and saving the planet
“In a world faced with the imminent threat of climate change, two passionate women, Lucy Bell and Lucy Leonardi, have joined forces to do their bit to tackle the enormous challenge of food waste, which contributes to climate change in a big way.” “Their collaborative effort has resulted in the creation of a remarkable book,Continue reading “Foodwise: A kid’s guide on fighting food waste and saving the planet”
New research finds nearly 90% of proteins tested, even vegan alternatives, contain microplastics
Using less plastic and purchasing and consuming fewer pre-packaged highly processed foods should be on everyone’s sustainability list for 2024. Why is this the case? A new study by researchers at the University of Toronto and Ocean Conservancy published in the journal Environmental Pollution (2024) evaluated microplastics in different types of protein-containing foods in theContinue reading “New research finds nearly 90% of proteins tested, even vegan alternatives, contain microplastics”
Food and sustainability: Is it a matter of choice?: A review
A recent review published in the journal Sustainability focuses on results of life cycle analysis (LCA) articles that summarize the current state of food choices on our environment. This narrative review “aims to demonstrate that healthy plant-based choices in our diet are linked to choices beneficial to our environment.” The authors also highlight the opportunitiesContinue reading “Food and sustainability: Is it a matter of choice?: A review”
Having big meat-eaters reduce their meat consumption is the equivalent of taking 8 million cars off the road: Study
A recent study published in the journal Nature Food found that big meat-eaters in the United Kingdom (UK) reducing their meat consumption would be the equivalent of taking 8 million cars off the road. Prof Scarborough, who is part of the Livestock Environment And People (LEAP) project surveyed 55,000 people who were divided into bigContinue reading “Having big meat-eaters reduce their meat consumption is the equivalent of taking 8 million cars off the road: Study”
Healthy plant-based diets are better for health and the environment than unhealthy plant-based diets: New research
In a new study published in the journal Lancet Planetary Health, researchers characterized the health and environmental impacts associated with high versus low scores on various plant-rich dietary indices in a U.S. cohort study. These researchers found that participants in the highest alternative healthy eating index-2010 (AHEI) and healthy plant-based diet index (PDI) score quintilesContinue reading “Healthy plant-based diets are better for health and the environment than unhealthy plant-based diets: New research”