EAT

Can Top Athletes Perform on a Plant-Based Menu? 🥗 With the Paris Olympics just around the corner—and the hosts having committed to more plant-based food for the games—the question is worth asking. Legendary rock climber Alex Honnold and star of the Academy Award-winning documentary #FreeSolo seems to think the answer is yes. In an interview with The Cool Down, the climber explains how he started on a largely plant-based diet in order to lower his environmental impact. "It's funny. People ask all the time: 'How do you get your protein? What do you eat?'" Honnold told The Cool Down. "You just eat things. You eat plants, grains, legumes. Have you ever seen a panda? It lives largely on bamboo!" Honnold is in good company. Other top performers who have gone entirely or largely plant-based include Venus Williams, Novak Djokovic, Lewis Hamilton—and even Arnold Schwarzenegger. 💪 A new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health indicates that a diet that benefits the planet is also the best diet for your health, lowering risks of heart disease, cancer, and chronic diseases. Adherence to the Planetary Health Diet—which emphasizes eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and legumes—is associated with up to 30 percent reduced risk of premature death, according to the study, which was published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 👉 To read more about Alex Honnold’s sustainable ways, see https://lnkd.in/d5PnHWtU The Cool Down Honnold Foundation

Great piece in The Economist on how improving diets for pregnant mothers and infants can significantly boost global intelligence - at a very modest price tag. But the article doesn't mention that healthy, nutritious diets for all require a radical reboot of our current food systems. Our recent Food Systems Economics Commission (FSEC) study shows that continuing with business as usual will leave 640 million people, including 121 million children, underweight by 2050, particularly in India, Southeast Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa. The good news? We know the solutions. Transforming to sustainable, health-promoting and just food systems by 2050 can eliminate undernutrition and cumulatively save 174 million lives from diet-related diseases. This shift could generate up to $10 trillion a year, 8% of global GDP, with 70% of the benefits from reduced health costs. This equals up to a 19:1 return on investment. Governments simply cannot afford not to act. Read the article here: https://bit.ly/4bNK3ou More about #FSEC here: https://lnkd.in/dvvvAFkB #powerofnutrition #braindevelopment #healthydiets #foodsystems

When it comes to transforming agriculture, there’s no substitute for getting together in person, sharing knowledge over a locally-grown meal, and learning first-hand from farmers and communities about the challenges they face and the solutions they’ve pioneered to tackle them. This year, the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU) India and Ethiopia country platforms have been doing exactly that – connecting across borders as part of a cross-country learning programme on sustainable and regenerative agriculture. Read about the programme in this excellent photo story, which captures snapshots from its various workshops, site visits and field trips, and highlights what the countries can learn from each other’s respective initiatives to improve livelihoods, soil health and yields: https://lnkd.in/eRCaZMSA

Planetary Health Diet Associated With Better Mental Health 💝 A new study published in Nature reveals that adhering to the #PlanetaryHealthDiet is associated with significantly lower risks of incident depression, anxiety and their co-occurrence. The study concludes that that higher adherence to the EAT-Lancet reference diet, reflected by three EAT-Lancet diet scores, is associated with lower risks of depression, anxiety and their co-occurrence. The findings highlight that promoting this achievable and sustainable dietary pattern might have far-reaching benefits for the prevention of depression and anxiety. These findings follow a recent study where the Planetary Health Diet is associated with up to 30 percent lower risk of premature death, and yet another study in which the same diet is associated with healthy aging. The Planetary Health Diet was first introduced by the EAT-Lancet Commission in January, 2019, as an ideal diet for the health of people and planet alike. It encourages a global increase in the consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes and nuts, and a decrease of average meat consumption, while still allowing for a massive variance in individual and regional preferences. Studies have shown that adhering to the Planetary Health Diet can reduce food-associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50% and land use by more than 60%. 🌏 👉 https://lnkd.in/gqnNQJVi

Planetary Health Diet-aligned C40 Honored with the Food Planet Prize 🌍 It’s easy to fall into despair when looking at the issues the world is faced with, with regards to global warming and malnutrition—but some people and organizations are making a real difference and should be celebrated not only for what they do but also for providing hope that mankind can rise to the challenge. C40 is well-deserving of such praise and was recently rewarded with the prestigious Food Planet Prize, which with its 2-million-dollar prize is the largest environmental award in the world. C40’s Food Systems Network works directly with its 50+ member cities from around the world to make it easier for residents to eat food that is good for people, the planet, and prosperity by developing healthy, equitable, and accessible food systems that also reduce food loss and waste. Through the C40 Good Cities Accelerator, 16 cities worldwide are working to deliver sustainable food policies and achieve a Planetary Health Diet for all by 2030, informed by the EAT-Lancet Commission. The cities participating in the Good Food Cities accelerator are Stockholm, London, Paris, Milan, Barcelona, Oslo, Copenhagen, New York City, Toronto, Montreal, Los Angeles, Lima, Guadalajara, Seoul, Quezon City and Tokyo. These cities collectively serve over 500 million meals. Though every city is shaped by local context, good solutions can be quickly scaled and refined to suit other cities facing similar challenges. Transforming food systems to becoming aligned with the Planetary Health Diet will ensure that food systems go from being one of the biggest sources of carbon emissions on the planet to becoming a carbon sink. It is therefore a critical part of the solution to the global climate crisis, as well as the most effective way of combating biodiversity loss. Recent studies by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and partner institutions have also reaffirmed the massive health benefits of the Planetary Health Diet. A Harvard study published in June indicates that the diet could lower the risk of premature death by up to 30%. Another study shows that adhering to the Planetary Health Diet is strongly associated with healthy aging. Sources: 👉 https://lnkd.in/eZhjagYK 👉 https://lnkd.in/d4mWUNsP Food Planet Prize C40 Cities Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

👨🌾 Polish Farmers Support Plant-Forward Change in Subsidies 54.1 percent of Polish farmers say they would support the introduction of subsidies for farmers to encourage a change from animal breeding to plant cultivation, according to a survey conducted by the Ariadna Research Panel. The regional newspaper Gazeta Pomorska reports that global meat consumption has tripled over the course of 50 years, reaching 340 million tons per year in 2018, but that there has been a shift in mindset of many Europeans. “About 43 percent of Poles are limiting their meat consumption and increasingly reaching for plant substitutes,” says Karolina Kubara, board member of the Polish Association of Plant Food Producers. Kubara worries, however, that without systemic change and government support, Polish farmers risk being outrun by external food producers who receive better support for increasing the level of plant-based food production. An increase in subsidies for healthy and sustainable food production is in line with the findings of Food System Economics Commission (FSEC), who released the report The Economics of Food System Transformation earlier this year. The report provides policymakers with a series of recommendations to achieve a much-needed change. FSEC identified five broad priorities to guide national food system transformation strategies, that if followed, could create economic benefits worth 5-10 trillion USD a year. These priorities are: 🍎 Shifting consumption patterns towards healthy diets. 👨🌾 Repurposing government support for agriculture. ⚖ Targeting revenue from new taxes to support the food system transformation. 💻 Innovating to increase labor productivity and workers’ livelihood opportunities 💹 Scaling-up safety nets to keep food affordable for the poorest. Read the newspaper article here (in Polish): https://lnkd.in/e7xZWFwB For more information about the economy of food system transformation, see https://lnkd.in/ezdwDCsk

Amazing days at Brilliant Minds, and an honor to share the stage with one of the world’s best photographers and storytellers, Mattias Klum. Our message was simple: Nature keeps us alive, and we need to protect her. To do that, we must fix our food systems. We have the science, the economic argument, and know what needs to be done: move to nature-positive production, cut food waste, shift to healthy plant-rich diets (and make it affordable for all), and ensure decent incomes for our farmers and food workers.  It’s not rocket science. We just need to do it. The money is there. By redirecting just a fraction of the over $600 billion in subsidies that currently cause problems, we can make significant progress.  But for this to happen, we need everyone to care. Are we brilliant enough? Thanks to Ash Pournouri & the Brilliant Minds team, and all the inspiring speakers including Eric Schmidt, Niklas Aadalberth Max Martin and many more🫶🏼 📸 (the pro ones): Jean Lapin #planetaryhealth #climateaction #foodcanfixit #storytelling #eatlancet

How can cities finance their food ambitions? Join the next Food Trails webinar on Tuesday, June 18, to learn from #Milan, #Birmingham and Wageningen University & Research. #EUFOODCITIES

⚕️ Planetary Health Diet Lowers Risk of Premature Death by 30%, Study Finds People who eat a healthy, sustainable diet may substantially lower their risk of premature death in addition to their environmental impact, according to a new study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It is the first large study to directly evaluate the impacts of adherence to recommendations in the landmark 2019 EAT-Lancet report. The study, which was published online June 10 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, analyzed the data from more than 200,000 people. It found that the risk of premature death was 30% lower in the top 10% of participants most closely adhering to PHD compared to those in the lowest 10%. Every major cause of death, including cancer, heart disease, and lung disease, was lower with greater adherence to this dietary pattern. In addition, the researchers found that those with the highest adherence to the PHD had a substantially lower environmental impact than those with the lowest adherence, including 29% lower greenhouse gas emissions, 21% lower fertilizer needs, and 51% lower cropland use. 🌎 “Climate change has our planet on track for ecological disaster, and our food system plays a major role,” said corresponding author Walter Willett, professor of epidemiology and nutrition. “Shifting how we eat can help slow the process of climate change. And what’s healthiest for the planet is also healthiest for humans.” 👉 https://lnkd.in/d4mWUNsP Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health American Society for Nutrition

Save the date! 📆 June 6, 9:30 AM EDT Food systems provide important benefits to the global population, not only providing food but also supporting livelihoods for more than one billion people around the globe. However, food systems also encompass hidden environmental, health, and social costs, estimated to be at least $10 trillion per year, as mapped out in two separate seminal reports from the FAO and the #FoodSystemEconomicsCommission (FSEC). On June 6, please join International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Food System Economics Commission (FSEC), and FAO in-person or online for a policy seminar on “Tackling the Hidden Costs of our Food Systems.” This hybrid event will discuss the remedies to reduce this economic burden, while moving toward more sustainable, health-promoting, and socially inclusive food systems. 💬 Speakers include Johan Swinnen (IFPRI), Maximo Torero (FAO), Andrea Cattaneo (FAO), Caterina Ruggeri Laderchi (Food System Economics Commission (FSEC), Jessica Fanzo (Columbia University), Danielle Resnick (IFPRI), and Charlotte Hebebrand (IFPRI). 🎟️ Register here: https://bit.ly/Foodsystems CGIAR