The diet proposed by the U.K. research team met the average adult female’s needs for all major nutrients, including protein, fibre, iron, calcium, zinc, folate and vitamin B-12, and was within the recommended limits for calories, added sugars, sodium and saturated fats (the authors used a female diet because women of childbearing age have higher iron requirements than men).
When compared with the diet usually consumed by the British public, the sustainable diet was slightly higher in fruits, vegetables, grains and potatoes, milk and yogurt, but contained less ice cream, butter and cream. The sustainable diet also contained fewer high fat or high sugar processed foods, less than half the amount of meat, a little bit more fish and more than twice as many beans and lentils. Eggs were reduced slightly, and fish and nuts went up a touch.
While there is little argument that a vegetarian or vegan diet — those diets that shun meat or animal products entirely — are usually better for the environment than omnivorous diets, the question is: How do you get the majority of the population to buy into sustainable eating, without having to give up foods that they enjoy, like meat, cheese, or desserts?
According to the U.K. diet plan, it is possible to eat a more sustainable diet and still include meat, but you do need to cut down — portions of red meat, for example, are limited to two small servings per week. A daily treat is also included, as is milk and sugar for tea time. Perhaps most importantly, the researchers retained a handful of traditional British comfort foods, including chips, cookies and even white bread. While none of these are nutritional gems, it highlights the importance of making an eating plan that is realistic and accessible for the general population.