A sustainability analysis of environmental impact, nutritional quality, and price among six popular diets
IntroductionSustainable diets and their overall impact on the environment and human health have garnered global attention. Environmental impact, human nutrition, and affordability are three relevant dimensions for assessing overall sustainability of diets. Using a relative sustainability score, we c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2023-03-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1021906/full |
| _version_ | 1797862059923210240 |
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| author | Lara Yacoub Bach Bethany E. Jana Chisom Freda Adaeze Egwatu Corey Jane Orndorff Rinad Alanakrih Joy Okoro Megan K. Gahl Megan K. Gahl |
| author_facet | Lara Yacoub Bach Bethany E. Jana Chisom Freda Adaeze Egwatu Corey Jane Orndorff Rinad Alanakrih Joy Okoro Megan K. Gahl Megan K. Gahl |
| author_sort | Lara Yacoub Bach |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionSustainable diets and their overall impact on the environment and human health have garnered global attention. Environmental impact, human nutrition, and affordability are three relevant dimensions for assessing overall sustainability of diets. Using a relative sustainability score, we compare the Mediterranean, paleo, ketogenic, vegetarian, and vegan diets, along with the World Health Organization dietary guidelines in order to evaluate which diets are most sustainable.MethodsEnvironmental, nutrition, and price data on individual food items were collected and used to analyze diets. Using an online meal- prep program, one week's worth of meals standardized at 2,000 kilocalories per day was generated for each diet. Estimates of greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication, land use, water withdrawals, nutritional quality, and affordability were calculated. Ultimately an overall relative sustainability score based on these metric averages were used to compare diets.ResultsOur model indicates that vegan, Mediterranean, and vegetarian diets are the most sustainable across all metrics while meat-heavy diets, such as the ketogenic diet, have the greatest negative environmental impact. A diet based on the World Health Organization's dietary guidelines performed poorly with regards to affordability, environmental impacts, and nutritional quality. Diets with higher nutritional quality included the vegan, paleo, and Mediterranean diets. Diets that eliminate meat were the cheapest both by total cost and by cost per gram of food.DiscussionDiets with the highest overall sustainability score share a common characteristic: they all suggest that consumers committed to sustainability should prioritize ‘plant-forward' diets. In contrast, diets rich in meat and animal products perform poorly overall but especially in terms of environmental sustainability. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:13:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bcc157c8a1e04fb597bcef9b1a735dfa |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-581X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T22:13:10Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems |
| spelling | doaj.art-bcc157c8a1e04fb597bcef9b1a735dfa2023-03-23T06:20:43ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems2571-581X2023-03-01710.3389/fsufs.2023.10219061021906A sustainability analysis of environmental impact, nutritional quality, and price among six popular dietsLara Yacoub Bach0Bethany E. Jana1Chisom Freda Adaeze Egwatu2Corey Jane Orndorff3Rinad Alanakrih4Joy Okoro5Megan K. Gahl6Megan K. Gahl7College of Natural Sciences, Minerva University, San Francisco, CA, United StatesCollege of Natural Sciences, Minerva University, San Francisco, CA, United StatesCollege of Natural Sciences, Minerva University, San Francisco, CA, United StatesCollege of Natural Sciences, Minerva University, San Francisco, CA, United StatesCollege of Natural Sciences, Minerva University, San Francisco, CA, United StatesCollege of Natural Sciences, Minerva University, San Francisco, CA, United StatesCollege of Natural Sciences, Minerva University, San Francisco, CA, United StatesCurriculum & Pedagogy, Minerva Project, San Francisco, CA, United StatesIntroductionSustainable diets and their overall impact on the environment and human health have garnered global attention. Environmental impact, human nutrition, and affordability are three relevant dimensions for assessing overall sustainability of diets. Using a relative sustainability score, we compare the Mediterranean, paleo, ketogenic, vegetarian, and vegan diets, along with the World Health Organization dietary guidelines in order to evaluate which diets are most sustainable.MethodsEnvironmental, nutrition, and price data on individual food items were collected and used to analyze diets. Using an online meal- prep program, one week's worth of meals standardized at 2,000 kilocalories per day was generated for each diet. Estimates of greenhouse gas emissions, eutrophication, land use, water withdrawals, nutritional quality, and affordability were calculated. Ultimately an overall relative sustainability score based on these metric averages were used to compare diets.ResultsOur model indicates that vegan, Mediterranean, and vegetarian diets are the most sustainable across all metrics while meat-heavy diets, such as the ketogenic diet, have the greatest negative environmental impact. A diet based on the World Health Organization's dietary guidelines performed poorly with regards to affordability, environmental impacts, and nutritional quality. Diets with higher nutritional quality included the vegan, paleo, and Mediterranean diets. Diets that eliminate meat were the cheapest both by total cost and by cost per gram of food.DiscussionDiets with the highest overall sustainability score share a common characteristic: they all suggest that consumers committed to sustainability should prioritize ‘plant-forward' diets. In contrast, diets rich in meat and animal products perform poorly overall but especially in terms of environmental sustainability.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1021906/fulldietsnutritionfood costsustainabilitygreenhouse gas emissionsplant-based |
| spellingShingle | Lara Yacoub Bach Bethany E. Jana Chisom Freda Adaeze Egwatu Corey Jane Orndorff Rinad Alanakrih Joy Okoro Megan K. Gahl Megan K. Gahl A sustainability analysis of environmental impact, nutritional quality, and price among six popular diets Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems diets nutrition food cost sustainability greenhouse gas emissions plant-based |
| title | A sustainability analysis of environmental impact, nutritional quality, and price among six popular diets |
| title_full | A sustainability analysis of environmental impact, nutritional quality, and price among six popular diets |
| title_fullStr | A sustainability analysis of environmental impact, nutritional quality, and price among six popular diets |
| title_full_unstemmed | A sustainability analysis of environmental impact, nutritional quality, and price among six popular diets |
| title_short | A sustainability analysis of environmental impact, nutritional quality, and price among six popular diets |
| title_sort | sustainability analysis of environmental impact nutritional quality and price among six popular diets |
| topic | diets nutrition food cost sustainability greenhouse gas emissions plant-based |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1021906/full |
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