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Everybody wants to be healthy. And if you\u2019re like most people, you care about the planet’s health, too. New research shows that one specific way of eating could actually help your body and the earth at the same time. <\/p>\n
A recent study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition<\/em><\/a> found that the Planetary Health Diet can reduce your risk of premature death by 30% and lower your risk of death from cancer, heart disease, and lung disease.\u00a0<\/p>\n The planetary health diet is pretty simple. It\u2019s all about eating mostly whole plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Meat isn\u2019t off the table\u2014the diet allows a modest amount of animal products. <\/p>\n The study analyzed health and data from 200,000 participants. Subjects filled out food diaries for as long as 34 years.<\/p>\n Researchers used 15 food groups\u2014among them, whole grains, vegetables, chicken, and nuts\u2014to assess how closely people followed a Planetary Health Diet.<\/p>\n The study also showed a correlation between those who most closely stuck to the diet and a positive impact on the environment: 29% lower greenhouse gas emissions, 21% lower fertilizer needs, and 51% lower cropland use.<\/p>\n Is the Planetary Health Diet really as beneficial as recent headlines make it seem? We asked MyFitnessPal registered dietitian Brookell White to decode the science and fill us in on everything we need to know. <\/p>\n \u201cAny diet high in plant foods and low in heavily processed foods, sugar, and red meat is generally a good choice for most people,\u201d says White. \u201cThe Planetary Health Diet appears to be a healthy, well-balanced diet.\u201d <\/p>\n White agrees with the researchers’ key findings: <\/strong>By sticking to the program, you may be able to reduce your risk of certain preventable diseases. <\/p>\n \u201cThis diet is similar to the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet<\/a>, which are both commonly recommended to people at risk of heart disease or common metabolic disorders, including obesity,\u201d says White. \u201cThey have been shown to lower the risk of these diseases<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Where the planetary heath diet differs most is that the mediterranean diet puts an emphasis on eating monounsaturated fats in foods like fatty fish and olive oils, according to White.\u00a0<\/p>\n You might also like While you should always consult with your physician before starting any new diet regime, according to White, the planetary health diet would be a good program for most people. But it can be especially beneficial for anyone living with or at risk of heart disease, metabolic disorders, and obesity. <\/p>\n \u201cThis diet could be great for people at risk for these conditions but also for most people in general as it is a great dietary pattern high in whole foods,\u201d says White.<\/p>\n One of the appealing aspects of the planetary health diet is its potential for weight management. <\/p>\n \u201cThis diet includes lots of low-calorie foods. For most healthy people, weight loss comes down to a reduction in total calories,\u201d says White. The low-calorie, high-fiber content of these foods can help you feel full and satisfied, supporting weight loss efforts<\/a>.<\/p>\n However, lack of portion control could still lead to weight gain. \u201cI don\u2019t see any specific food patterns where this diet may lead to weight gain for most people when followed correctly, with the exception of overconsumption in general,\u201d says White. \u201cExcess calories in any diet will likely lead to weight gain.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not exactly breaking news to say people should eat less meat for their health and the environment<\/a>. But it\u2019s easier said than done, especially if you don\u2019t want to sacrifice protein.<\/p>\n Americans eat, on average, about 4.5 pounds of meat each week<\/a>. While the most recent study doesn\u2019t list the exact amount of meat you can include in the Planetary Health Diet, there\u2019s good reason to think it\u2019s less than that.<\/p>\n \u201cA study on a similar diet<\/a> suggests consuming no more than 98 grams of red meat and 203 grams of poultry per week,\u201d says White. That\u2019s less than one pound of meat per week.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the equivalent of one cooked beef patty and two small chicken breasts.\u201d <\/p>\n A dramatic drop in meat could be tough for a lot of people. <\/p>\n \u201cIf you follow the Planetary Health Diet, I would suggest slowly reducing your meat intake. Taking some time to slowly get to eating poultry and red meat only three times a week may increase the likelihood of maintaining this way of eating,\u201d says White.<\/p>\n Fun fact<\/strong>: Did you know MyFitnessPal has one of the world\u2019s largest food databases, with over 19 million foods? Track your protein<\/a> and more on the app!<\/p>\n Another consideration is protein intake. If your goal is to lose fat while maintaining muscle mass\u2014something White strongly recommends\u2014you may want to focus on increasing plant protein if you follow this diet. <\/p>\n Good plant-based protein sources include tofu and other soy products as well as legumes like lentils and chickpeas.<\/p>\n \u201cI recommend calculating your protein consumption on this diet to ensure you\u2019re getting enough,\u201d says White.<\/p>\n The post A Registered Dietitian Decodes the New Planetary Health Diet Study<\/a> appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A new study found that eating more plants is healthy for your body and the planet.Understanding the Planetary Health Diet<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Health Benefits of the Planetary Health Diet<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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6 Ways to Diversify the Mediterranean Diet ><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWho can benefit from the Planetary Health Diet?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Is the Planetary Health Diet good for weight loss?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Challenges of the Planetary Health Diet<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\nThe post A Registered Dietitian Decodes the New Planetary Health Diet Study appeared first on MyFitnessPal Blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19095,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":""},"categories":[20,1,21,22,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19093"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19093"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19098,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19093\/revisions\/19098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19095"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19093"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19093"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}