Flexitarian-style planetary health diet

According to the first global scientific targets for sustainable healthy diets developed by EAT Lancet Commission¹, a plant-based, flexitarian-style “Planetary Health Diet” is healthy for both people and the planet:

“Diet rich in plant-based foods and with fewer animal source foods confers both improved health and environmental benefits.” – The Eat-Lancet Report

The “Planetary Health Diet” is a healthy diet that emphasizes plant-based eating, which include a variety of plant-based foods, including whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes, more unsaturated fats and low amounts of animal source foods.

Main food groups of a flexitarian-style Planetary Health Diet:

Food Groups	Examples
Fruits and vegetables	All fruits and vegetables such as carrot, cauliflower, banana and apple
Whole Grains	Brown rice, corn, oat, barley and rye
Plant-sourced protein	Legumes such as soybeans, red beans and black beans Nuts such as almonds and walnuts
Unsaturated Plant Oils	Soybean oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, canola oil
Tubers and Starchy Vegetables	Potatoes, cassavas, yams, sweet potatoes and taro

According to Eat Lancet Report², our current diet is threatening both our health and the planet. To shift our current diets to a healthy flexitarian-style “Planetary Health Diet” by 2050, it will require:

• A greater than 50% reduction in global intake of unhealthy foods, such as red meat and sugar, and
• A greater than 100% increase in the intake of healthy plant-based foods, such as nuts, fruits, vegetables, and legumes.

The Eat Lancet Commission concluded that if we all change our current diets toward flexitarian-style planetary health diets, it will help to prevent approximately 11 million deaths per year, which represent between 19% to 24% of total deaths among adults.¹