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The planetary diet versus the vegetarian diet comparison

Homepage Articles The planetary diet versus the vegetarian diet comparison

The planetary diet versus the vegetarian diet comparison

Today, more and more people are wondering how what we eat affects not only our health, but also the planet. There's a lot of talk about the benefits of cutting back on meat and animal products.

Table of Contents

1. It's a vegetarian diet

Vegetarianism is a way of eating that involves the exclusion of all types of meat, including fish and seafood. It is permissible to consume animal products such as eggs and chickpeas. There are many reasons why people simply choose to eat this type of diet, it is usually an individual matter. It can be a matter of health care, concern for every kind of environment, anxiety of killing, and the unhealthy treatment of all kinds of animals, including seafood, cultural, religious, as well as personal preferences.

2. The planetary diet

In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission published its report. Its aim was to identify a way of eating that would be healthy for humans, environmentally friendly, and feed the world's population, which is expected to reach 10 billion by 2050. The authors note that currently unhealthy diets will increase the risk of disease and mortality more than alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and dangerous sexual contact combined. Taking action to prevent environmental degradation and protect humanity from food shortages has become a necessity.

3. A comparison of the planetary diet and the vegetarian diet

It's worth noting that a vegetarian diet is also environmentally and health-friendly as long as it consists of high-quality foods. No matter which way we eat, it's important to think about the enormous health and environmental impact of what's on our plates. Caring for the planet doesn't have to mean drastically changing and completely giving up our favorite foods. Even the slightest modification to improve our habits will have a significant effect.
Source

McEvoy C.T., Temple N., Woodside J.V., Vegetarian diets, low-meat diets and health: A review, „Public Health Nutrition” 2012, 15(12), 2287–2294.
Summary Report of the EAT-Lancet Commission,
eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/eat-lancet-commission-summary-report (25.03.2021).
Willett W. et al., Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems, „Lancet” 2019, 393(10170), 447–492.