“Diet is a major source of #CO2, which we need to reduce,” said Christina Dahm, study author
An efficient and effective way to optimise your efforts towards boosting health is to opt for sustainable diets, suggests a new Danish study.
The study from Aarhus University, Department of Public Health, published in scientific journal Stroke, mentioned that sustainable diets not only helped lower the risk of blood clots in the brain, but are beneficial for the climate too.
“If adult men or women follow a sustainable diet, and the Nordic recommendations for dietary fibre intake, then we see a lower risk of bleeding or blood clots in the brain,” said Christina Dahm, study author.
The study used data from the Danish Diet, Cancer and Health population study. A total of 57,053 adults aged 50 to 64 took part in the study in the early 1990s, and answered questions about their eating habits and lifestyles. In the following years, researchers used Danish registers to identify participants who developed bleeding and blood clots in the brain.
“The food we eat has a crucial influence on our health, but also affects our climate and the environment. We need to eat more sustainably, but of course it’s important that we also have a healthy diet,” said Dahm. She added that the study should be followed up in the context of today’s Danish dietary habits, which contain an increased amount of new sustainable foods such as oat milk and plant-based meat alternatives, as well as studies that examine more specifically how Danes can become better at complying with climate-friendly dietary advice.
Diet is a major source of #CO2, which we need to reduce, said Dahm in a post on Twitter.
What is a sustainable diet?
A sustainable diet is one that is generally for the long-term and has a low impact on the environment and food supply, said Sakina Diwan, dietician, Bhatia Hospital, Mumbai.
The seven official Danish climate–friendly dietary guidelines are:
*Eat plant-rich, varied and not too much.
*Eat more vegetables and fruit.
*Eat less meat — choose legumes and fish.
*Eat whole grains.
*Choose vegetable oils and low-fat dairy products.
*Eat less of the sweet, salty and fatty.
*Quench your thirst with water.
Why should one adopt a sustainable diet?
Adopting a sustainable diet can help maintain an individual’s health while also making sure the planet has enough resources to feed future generations of humans, explained Diwan. “Research notes that a universally healthful reference diet includes increasing consumption of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, legumes. Meanwhile, a person eating sustainably will eat low amounts of or no refined grains, added sugars, red meat, and processed foods which have unhealthy impact,” said Diwan.
