Definitions
Whole foods – natural foods not heavily processed, unrefined or minimally refined ingredients.
Plant based – food that comes from plants and is free from animal ingredients such as meat, milk, eggs, honey.
These are foods you recognise as they grow in nature with little processing and contain only a few ingredients – fruit, veg, starchy veg, herbs and spices, whole grains, beans and lentils, nuts, seeds and 100% nut butters, tofu, tempeh, quorn, soya protein.
If we made the switch diets would become higher in fibre, have an equal amount of protein but from plant-based sources and lower in Ultra Processed Foods (processed meats, convenience foods, snacks and sugar sweetened drinks).
Benefits
- Disease prevention – type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease (lower in saturated fat), possible reduced risk of cancer and dementia more research needed.
- Improved gut health – increased fibre intake.
- Weight management – due to higher fibre intake and less ultra-processed foods.
- Lighter environmental footprint – fewer climate altering greenhouse gas emissions, reduced water consumption, growing crops to feed animals then humans rather than growing crops to feed humans directly so less land used.
It is estimated that well-planned, completely plant-based diets need just one third of the fertile land, fresh water and energy of the typical British ‘meat and dairy’ based diet (BDA food fact sheet).
Click on the link for the BDA advice https://www.bda.uk.com/resource-report/one-blue-dot.html
Sustainability
Up to 30% of GHG emissions globally are linked to agriculture and food production and the environmental impact of the food we eat is one of the key changes we can make to tackle the issue of climate change.
The environmental impact of our food
- Deforestation
- 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions
- Damaged ecosystems
- Water use and wastage
- Soil degradation
- Depleted fish stocks
All of which damage our environment and put the security of our planet at risk.
A word about meat
Ideally, we should be eating no more than 70g cooked weight of red or processed meat per day (which is 500g per week). Adding plants to meat-containing dishes can help a lot with this. Essential alternatives to meat are legumes, pulses, vegetables and dairy products for nutritional adequacy.
Diets most closely aligned to these eating guidelines had 30% lower diet-related greenhouse gas emissions than those least aligned.
If you do eat meat, try to choose meat from sustainable farming practices – British farms committed to improving environmental impact that have sustainable water and energy use, strategies to increase carbon sequestration, driving biodiversity and ensuring optimal animal welfare.
To see the impact of some of your food choices see here;
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-46459714
What about food waste?
- A ¼ of all food we buy we throw away, the majority of which is still edible when it goes in the bin.
- 2 million tones of fresh fruit and vegetables are thrown away yearly.
- UK households throw away 300,00 tonnes of meat and fish a year which contributes more than a quarter of GHG emissions links with food and drink from UK homes.
- Food in landfill contributes to global warming.
Other considerations
Barriers to the switch towards eating more plants; unfamiliar ingredients, different texture/flavour to what we are used to, time and financial pressures.
What about the cost? The staple foods such as beans, chickpeas, lentils, oats, brown rice, barley, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, quinoa, couscous are generally cheap. Additional veg and fruit is cheaper if bought within the growing season, tinned, frozen or dried.
For meal swaps and seasonal food info see here;
https://www.bda.uk.com/static/89de0ac6-5141-4258-9c34ff71566821ef/One-Blue-Dot-Meal-swaps.pdf
Further reading
https://www.centralsurgerysouthshields.nhs.uk/infopage/66eb2b404b92847dfacace50