It’s possible to eat both healthily and sustainably without entirely giving up meat, according to a new study.
After analysing 2,500 foods, scientists from the Technical University of Denmark claim it can be kind to both the planet and your body, provided you eat no more than 255g of pork or chicken per week.
“We know the planet is under serious environmental pressure, and at the same time, millions suffer from hunger and malnutrition,” said Dr Caroline Herlev Gebara from the Technical University of Denmark, who led the study, when speaking with BBC Science Focus.
“While it's widely said we should eat more plant-based foods, it’s still unclear how much is actually ‘enough,’ and whether these shifts can make a real difference.”
To find out how much was ‘enough’, Gebara’s team looked at 11 types of diet, such as those high in red or white meat, pescetarian, vegetarian, vegan and various flexible diets.
They created thousands of combinations of food following these diets, evaluating both their nutritional value and their effect on the planet.
Environmental impact was gauged across five key areas: amount of carbon dioxide released; land use; water consumption; biodiversity loss; and the amount of water contaminated with fertiliser.
They found that not only is it possible to feed the world’s population healthily without overstraining the planet, but there is a wide range of dietary options to do so.
“We do have enough resources to feed the global population with healthy and nutritious food without exceeding the planet’s environmental limits,” said Gebara. “That’s the good news.”
The research identified around 100,000 food combinations that were healthy and sustainable. While vegan and vegetarian diets had the biggest benefits, diets including no more than 255g of pork or chicken were also viable. That’s equivalent to two chicken breasts or one large pork chop.
The only thing entirely off the menu was red meat, which had no viable diets, due to the high environmental impact of producing it compared to the nutrition it provides.
“The production of red meat causes more greenhouse gas emissions (mainly methane) than poultry and pork due to the way ruminants digest their food – their poop and burps emit more methane,” said Gebara.
But just because such diets are possible doesn’t mean they will be easy to implement.
“It requires major changes in how we currently consume food,” said Gebara. “Our study looks at what’s physically possible – not what’s socially or economically accessible. Making these sustainable diets a reality requires structural changes.”
About our expert
Caroline Herlev Gebara is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Technical University of Denmark's Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering. She researches the impact of human life and industry on the environment.
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