Today, lovers of vegetables and vegetarian options have become an important segment in the American diet. Based on this, every day more people are interested in eating differently and have opted to make healthier decisions, finally it is no secret to say that the quality of the daily food we consume influences our well-being and the planet. Recently a new study published in Nature Food created a Nutritional Health Index (HENI), created with the goal of classifying more than 5,800 foods commonly eaten by minutes of life lost or gained per serving ingested.
In the study, different comparisons were made on a wide group of foods and had very relevant findings, among the main ones they discovered that a handful of nuts prolongs healthy life by 26 minutes, while a hot dog in a bun takes 36 minutes. In addition, the study classified the foods in green, amber or red, according to their environmental impact. It is worth mentioning that the study ranked most plant foods as the healthiest for the planet.
The study confirmed that replacing 10% of your daily caloric intake from beef and processed meats with a combination of select fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and seafood can reduce your dietary carbon footprint by a third and gain 48 minutes of “healthy life.” In other words, making these types of decisions is reflected in a good quality of life and reduces the risk of diseases.
In short, the study is quite specific, to carry it out, the researchers obtained data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) and used a comprehensive epidemiological study with a database that includes 15 dietary risk factors that contribute to health and / or disease. and combined them with the nutritional profiles of more than 5,800 foods consumed in the United States, according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey’s What We Eat in America database .
According to the study, the estimated health benefits of making healthier food choices come from products such as milk, nuts and seeds, fruits, calcium, omega-3 fatty acids from shellfish, fibers from fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains wholegrain and polyunsaturated fatty acids. While estimated health harms were associated with foods such as processed meat, red meat, trans fatty acids, sugar-sweetened beverages, and sodium.
The researchers scaled those data to standard serving sizes and created a Nutritional Health Index (HENI), which translated the information into minutes of life lost or gained per serving size of each food consumed. When food is mixed on a plate (as is often the case), the pros and cons are included in the equation for net profit or loss. For example, a handful of walnuts prolongs your healthy life by 26 minutes, while omega-3s and produce are so beneficial that sardines in tomato sauce can help you add up to an additional 82 minutes of healthy life.
Less healthy options take minutes. According to the study authors, on average 0.45 minutes are lost per gram of processed meat . Also, foods with trans fatty acids and sodium, such as a hot dog, can take 36 minutes off your life, while a serving of chicken wings can take 3.3 minutes off your healthy life.
To determine the effect of food choices on the environment, the researchers evaluated each food based on 18 environmental indicators , including carbon footprint, air pollution, and impacts on water use. They coded each of the foods as green (good for the environment), amber (slightly harmful or that generate moderate environmental impacts) or red (have significant negative nutritional impacts or high environmental impacts), according to their impact on the planet.
As part of the categories, they defined the following parameters: the foods in the green zone consisted mainly of nuts, fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains and some shellfish. Foods in the amber zone were categorized as poultry, dairy (milk and yogurt), egg-based foods, cooked cereals, and vegetables produced in a greenhouse. Red zone foods include processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, beef, pork, and lamb.
Therefore, according to the study, reduce foods with the most negative impacts on health and the environment, including red, processed and ultra-processed meat, followed by pork, lamb and greenhouse-grown vegetables. And in turn, increase the most beneficial foods from the nutritional point of view, including fruits and vegetables grown in the field, legumes, nuts and seafood with low environmental impact. It is a sustainable change that reflects the urgency of changes in diet , to improve human health and the environment.