Search Weight Loss Topics:

Home » Diet » Readers respond: A diet good for your body and the planet – oregonlive.com

Seeing Greta Thunbergs effort to protect our planet is inspiring and leads me to reflect on what I can do. It turns out there is a lot, starting with my diet. I have dietary choices, and these have varying impacts on my health. But what about their impact on the planet? My diet can also affect our planetary health.

Diets heavy in meat consumption contribute to environmental degradation through greenhouse-gas production, stressed water resources and deforestation that decreases carbon sequestration. If meat consumption were essential, we would need to find a way to minimize these environmental impacts. But you can have a healthy diet without meat. In fact, eating large amounts of meat increases cardiovascular disease and diabetes. So could a diet lower in animal products be good for people and for the planet?

A consortium of scientists from across the world believes so and has developed the Healthy Diet from Sustainable Food Systems, published in The Lancet medical journal. This diet provides 40% of calories from vegetables, fruits and whole grains; meat contributes less than 4%. This is similar to the Mediterranean diet, which has proven health benefits.

Although making these changes would be challenging, the health and environmental benefits are worth it. If Greta Thunberg has taught me anything, it is to stand up to the most daunting challenges: a diet good for the planet and us. Eat less meat.

Linda Lester, M.D., Portland

Go here to see the original:
Readers respond: A diet good for your body and the planet - oregonlive.com

Your Full Name
Your Email
Your Phone Number
Select your age (30+ only)	30313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120
Select Your US State	Select Your StateAlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWashington,DCWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming
Program Choice	Select Your ProgramInjectable HGHInjectable TestoteroneInjectable SermorelinInjectable Weight LossInjectable HCG DietInjectable Vitamins
Confirm over 30 years old	Yes
Confirm that you resident in USA	Yes
This is a Serious Inquiry	Yes
Message:

Home » Diet » Readers respond: A diet good for your body and the planet – oregonlive.com