Eating healthy food is almost always also the best for the environment.
Researchers say poor diets seriously harm people and the planet. Foods such as fruit, vegetables, beans, and whole grains are best for avoiding disease and protecting the climate and water resources, while red and processed meat cause the most ill health and pollution.

Food affects the environment

<ul>
<li>Fish is generally a healthy choice but have a bigger environmental footprint on average. </li>
<li>High-sugar foods have a low impact on the planet but are damaging to your health.</li>
<li>Some farming groups argue only intensively produced meat is harmful to the environment.</li>
</ul>

Foods that buck the trend

Global ill-health costs from diabetes alone are similar to the total value of farming in the global economy.
<ul>
<li>Researchers calculated that producing unprocessed red meat has the highest impact on all environmental indicators.</li>
<li>Food with medium environmental impacts or not associated with ill health, such as refined grain cereals, dairy, eggs, and chicken, could help improve health and reduce environmental harm if they replace foods such as red meat.</li>
</ul>
Producing a reasonable guideline for a healthy and sustainable diet would put the world and its people in a much better place.

A healthy guideline

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</div>Healthier food choices almost always benefit environment as well, according to analysis
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<img alt="A selection of healthy food" src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/3762424fa6e87bf0c8aa86f492dd8415016c082e/0_73_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=300&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=804fce351839e108858da16a82d7cef3" width="700" height="420">
</picture><figcaption dir="auto"> Beans, wholegrains, fruit and vegetables are best for the climate and for avoiding disease, research shows. Photograph: Marilyn Barbone/Alamy</figcaption></figure>Eating healthy food is almost always also best for the environment, according to the most sophisticated analysis to date.The researchers said poor diets threaten society by seriously harming people and the planet, but the latest research can inform better choices.The analysis assessed the health and environmental impacts of 15 foods common in western diets and found fruit, vegetables, beans and wholegrains were best for both avoiding disease and protecting the climate and water resources. Conversely, eating more red and processed meat causes the most ill health and pollution.There were a small number of foods that bucked the trend. Fish is generally a healthy choice but has a bigger environmental footprint on average than plant-based diets. High-sugar foods, such as biscuits and fizzy drinks, have a low impact on the planet but are bad for health.The effect of bad diets on health in rich nations is well known, as is the need to slash western <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/10/huge-reduction-in-meat-eating-essential-to-avoid-climate-breakdown" data-link-name="in body link" dir="ltr">meat consumption</a> in order to tackle the climate breakdown and other <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth" data-link-name="in body link" dir="ltr">environmental crises</a>. But this is the first study to consider both together in detail.Michael Clark at the University of Oxford, who led the research, said: “Continuing to eat the way we do threatens societies, through chronic ill health and degradation of Earth’s climate, ecosystems and water resources.<img src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6ecb3d3a86601f07a2a1383101b11ea735beaa76/0_384_5760_3456/master/5760.jpg?width=460&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=d816a487acc55fa73195560bdfb2190c" width="130" height="78">“Choosing better, more sustainable diets is one of the main ways people can improve their health and help protect the environment.”Some farming groups argue only intensively produced meat is seriously damaging to the environment. But Clark said replacing any meat with plant-based food makes the biggest difference. “How and where a food is produced affects its environmental impact, but to a much smaller extent than food choice,” he said.Marco Springmann, also at Oxford and part of the study team, said: “We now know pretty well that predominantly plant-based diets are much healthier and more sustainable than meat-heavy diets. But sometimes there is still confusion among people about what foods to choose.”The scientists hope more detailed information will help consumers, policymakers and food companies make better choices. The researchers are currently working on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/10/we-label-fridges-to-show-their-environmental-impact-why-not-food" data-link-name="in body link" dir="ltr">new types</a> of food labels to see if information on health and environmental impacts changes people’s selection of food.The research, published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1906908116" data-link-name="in body link" dir="ltr">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences</a>, assessed plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, potatoes, refined grains and wholegrain cereals, and sugar-sweetened beverages, and animal-based foods such as raw and processed red meat, chicken, dairy products, eggs and fish.Using data from other studies on the diets and health outcomes of tens of millions of people, mostly in developed western nations, they calculated the health impact of eating one extra portion of each food on heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer.The environmental harm for each food, from greenhouse gases to water use to pollution, was calculated relative to a portion of vegetables. Producing unprocessed red meat had the highest impact for all environmental indicators and was many times worse than pulses.The researchers said foods with medium environmental impacts or not significantly associated with ill health, such as refined grain cereals, dairy, eggs and chicken, could help improve health and reduce environmental harm if they replaced foods such as red meat.Prof Tim Benton at the Chatham House thinktank, who was not part of the team, said: “The [new research] is the most sophisticated analysis to date that brings health and environment together.<img src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6e299eefbc2ac00348afa53ba249c7fd2e575966/0_27_3121_1872/master/3121.jpg?width=460&amp;quality=85&amp;auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;s=c7ff078095c7b77622f76746f02c1c79" width="130" height="78">“If we can produce reasonable guidelines of what a healthy and sustainable diet is, and were those guidelines to be adopted, the world and its people would be in a much better place.”According to Benton, strictly controlling people’s diets over many years for scientific research is impractical and it is therefore difficult to study the direct effects on health of eating specific foods, as the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/sep/30/research-red-meat-poses-no-health-risk" data-link-name="in body link" dir="ltr">continuing debate</a> over red meat shows. But he said the weight of evidence from epidemiological studies was now significant.“The global ill-health costs from diabetes alone are the same order of magnitude as the total value of farming to the global economy,” he said. “Our existing agricultural economy is destroying our ability to deal with climate change and also destroying our public health.”<h2>
 We've never had a better chance ...
 </h2>… to make a greener world. Covid-19 has delivered unusual environmental benefits: cleaner air, lower carbon emissions, a respite for wildlife. Now the big question is whether we can capitalise on this moment. The Guardian aims to lead the debate from the front.In the weeks and months ahead, our journalism will investigate the prospects for a new green settlement. We will showcase the big thinkers and protagonists and amplify the arguments for authorities everywhere to consider as they lead us out of coronavirus.Our credentials suit us well to the task: we are independent, we have no owners, no paymasters or oligarchs pulling the strings. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/oct/16/the-guardians-climate-pledge-2019" dir="ltr">We have committed to carbon neutrality by 2030, divested from the oil and gas sectors and renounced fossil fuel advertising</a>. But at this crucial moment, news organisations like ours are facing a daunting financial challenge. As businesses everywhere feel the pinch, the advertising revenue that has long helped to sustain our work has plummeted. We need you to help fill the gap.Our journalism is open to all because we believe everyone deserves access to factual information, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. If you can afford to, we hope you will consider supporting our journalism today.The Guardian believes that the climate crisis we face is systemic. We will inform our readers about threats to the environment based on scientific facts, not driven by commercial or political interests. We will keep reporting on the efforts of individuals and communities around the world who are fearlessly taking a stand for future generations and the preservation of human life on earth. We want their stories to inspire hope.We need your support to keep delivering this kind of open, committed independent journalism. Every reader contribution, however big or small, is so valuable. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – and it only takes a minute. Thank you.

Healthier food choices almost always benefit environment as well, according to analysis

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Healthier food choices almost always benefit environment as well, according to analysis Mon 28 Oct 2019 15.00 EDT Last modified on Tue 29 Oct 2019 06.46 EDT Eating healthy food is almost always also best for the environment, according to the most sophisticated analysis to date. The researchers said poor diets threaten society by seriously harming people and the planet, but the latest research can inform better choices.

The analysis assessed the health and environmental impacts of 15 foods common in western diets and found fruit, vegetables, beans and wholegrains were best for both avoiding disease and protecting the climate and water resources. Conversely, eating more red and processed meat causes the most ill health and pollution.

There were a small number of foods that bucked the trend. Fish is generally a healthy choice but has a bigger environmental footprint on average than plant-based diets. High-sugar foods, such as biscuits and fizzy drinks, have a low impact on the planet but are bad for health. The effect of bad diets on health in rich nations is well known, as is the need to slash western <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/10/huge-reduction-in-meat-eating-essential-to-avoid-climate-breakdown">meat consumption </a>in order to tackle the climate breakdown and other <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth">environmental crises </a>. But this is the first study to consider both together in detail. Michael Clark at the University of Oxford, who led the research, said: “Continuing to eat the way we do threatens societies, through chronic ill health and degradation of Earth’s climate, ecosystems and water resources.

“Choosing better, more sustainable diets is one of the main ways people can improve their health and help protect the environment.” Some farming groups argue only intensively produced meat is seriously damaging to the environment. But Clark said replacing any meat with plant-based food makes the biggest difference. “How and where a food is produced affects its environmental impact, but to a much smaller extent than food choice,” he said.

Marco Springmann, also at Oxford and part of the study team, said: “We now know pretty well that predominantly plant-based diets are much healthier and more sustainable than meat-heavy diets. But sometimes there is still confusion among people about what foods to choose.” The scientists hope more detailed information will help consumers, policymakers and food companies make better choices. The researchers are currently working on <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/oct/10/we-label-fridges-to-show-their-environmental-impact-why-not-food">new types </a>of food labels to see if information on health and environmental impacts changes people’s selection of food. The research, published in the journal <a href="https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1906908116">Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences </a>, assessed plant-based foods including fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, potatoes, refined grains and wholegrain cereals, and sugar-sweetened beverages, and animal-based foods such as raw and processed red meat, chicken, dairy products, eggs and fish.

Using data from other studies on the diets and health outcomes of tens of millions of people, mostly in developed western nations, they calculated the health impact of eating one extra portion of each food on heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer. The environmental harm for each food, from greenhouse gases to water use to pollution, was calculated relative to a portion of vegetables. Producing unprocessed red meat had the highest impact for all environmental indicators and was many times worse than pulses. The researchers said foods with medium environmental impacts or not significantly associated with ill health, such as refined grain cereals, dairy, eggs and chicken, could help improve health and reduce environmental harm if they replaced foods such as red meat.

Prof Tim Benton at the Chatham House thinktank, who was not part of the team, said: “The [new research] is the most sophisticated analysis to date that brings health and environment together. “If we can produce reasonable guidelines of what a healthy and sustainable diet is, and were those guidelines to be adopted, the world and its people would be in a much better place.” According to Benton, strictly controlling people’s diets over many years for scientific research is impractical and it is therefore difficult to study the direct effects on health of eating specific foods, as the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/2019/sep/30/research-red-meat-poses-no-health-risk">continuing debate </a>over red meat shows. But he said the weight of evidence from epidemiological studies was now significant.

“The global ill-health costs from diabetes alone are the same order of magnitude as the total value of farming to the global economy,” he said. “Our existing agricultural economy is destroying our ability to deal with climate change and also destroying our public health.” … to make a greener world. Covid-19 has delivered unusual environmental benefits: cleaner air, lower carbon emissions, a respite for wildlife. Now the big question is whether we can capitalise on this moment. The Guardian aims to lead the debate from the front. In the weeks and months ahead, our journalism will investigate the prospects for a new green settlement. We will showcase the big thinkers and protagonists and amplify the arguments for authorities everywhere to consider as they lead us out of coronavirus.

Our credentials suit us well to the task: we are independent, we have no owners, no paymasters or oligarchs pulling the strings. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/oct/16/the-guardians-climate-pledge-2019">We have committed to carbon neutrality by 2030, divested from the oil and gas sectors and renounced fossil fuel advertising </a>. But at this crucial moment, news organisations like ours are facing a daunting financial challenge. As businesses everywhere feel the pinch, the advertising revenue that has long helped to sustain our work has plummeted. We need you to help fill the gap.

Our journalism is open to all because we believe everyone deserves access to factual information, regardless of where they live or what they can afford to pay. If you can afford to, we hope you will consider supporting our journalism today. The Guardian believes that the climate crisis we face is systemic. We will inform our readers about threats to the environment based on scientific facts, not driven by commercial or political interests. We will keep reporting on the efforts of individuals and communities around the world who are fearlessly taking a stand for future generations and the preservation of human life on earth. We want their stories to inspire hope.

Healthy diet means a healthy planet, study shows

Food affects the environment

Foods that buck the trend

A healthy guideline

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