What is the best diet for humans and the environment?

Is there a diet that is healthy both for the people and for the environment?

Until now, the Mediterranean Diet has been considered the best diet to live a healthy life. 

The Mediterranean diet is based on whole foods such as fresh vegetables, fresh or dried fruits, whole grains and seeds and allows a small intake of fish and dairy occasionally. Doctors and nutritionists claimed this was the perfect diet for longevity. 

However, in recent years scientists looked more carefully at a plant-based diet as the ultimate diet for humans. 

According to a new study published in the journal Future Foods, it's the completely plant-based diet that is more beneficial. It is not only best for human health but also for the health of our planet, which is currently suffering from global warming. 

Scientists looked through 40 studies that examined the human health impact and the environmental impact of plant-based diets.

Plant-based diets offer better nutrition

They concluded that vegan diets have better alimentary profiles than those based on animal products. The researchers also confirmed that meat-free and dairy-free diets help people improve their health and help to lose weigh in a healthy way.

The researchers wrote in the statement: "There are increasingly strong reasons to move away from industrial animal agriculture for the good of the environment, animals, our personal health, and public health."

"Plant-based animal product alternatives represent a highly feasible way to reduce animal product consumption, since they address the core consumer decision drivers of taste, price, and convenience."

Plant-based diets have less impact on the planet

Another great benefit of plant-based diet is its minimal impact on the planet. Plant-based diets are more sustainable and produce less greenhouse emissions. 

Study author Christopher Bryant, a psychologist at the University of Bath, commented: "Increasingly, we're seeing how plant-based products are able to shift demand away from animal products by appealing to three essential elements consumers want: taste, price, and convenience." 

"This review demonstrates overwhelming evidence that, as well as being far more sustainable compared to animal products in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, water use, and land use, plant-based animal product alternatives also have a wide range of health benefits," he concluded.