About this Research Topic

Background

Many people around the world are malnourished and consume low-quality diets that cause micronutrient deficiencies, as well as obesity and non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Plant-based diets are recommended as healthy and environmentally sustainable dietary patterns. Diets such as vegetarian and vegan diets, the New Nordic diet, and the Mediterranean diet, which are regarded as sustainable diets, are being investigated in terms of their health effects.

The EAT-Lancet Commission recommends a healthy and environmentally-sustainable diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and unsaturated fats. The diet also includes a low to moderate amount of seafood and poultry, includes no or a low quantity of red meat, processed meat, added sugar, refined grains, and starchy vegetables. In 2019, FAO and WHO defined Sustainable Healthy Diets as “dietary patterns that promote all dimensions of individuals’ health and wellbeing; have low environmental pressure and impact; are accessible, affordable, safe and equitable; and are culturally acceptable.” The definition was based on 4 bases: nutrition, economics, culture, and the environment. Namely, sustainable diets need to be nutritionally adequate, economically affordable, culturally acceptable, and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems. The environmental impacts of diets are usually examined by using various indicators of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe), land and agricultural capacity, primary energy use, and water use.

Current dietary patterns have been linked with increased deaths due to paradoxically coexisting hunger and obesity, along with damage to ecological systems. When the habitual UK diet is compared to plant-based vegetarian and vegan diets, both vegetarian and vegan diets are reported to have lower GHGe costs. Vegetarian diets have also been shown to have lower water footprint than the German-recommended diet. However, some of these sustainable diets are controversial in terms of being nutritionally adequate. Some types of vegan diets can result in a lower than recommended intake of protein and consuming more added sugars, and can thus be unhealthy.

Additionally, the Covid-19 pandemic - which affected the world in 2019 and whose effects are still felt - reversed the decreasing trend in food insecurity, and an increase in the rate of malnourished people was reported for the first time in years. In addition, it is thought that the war between Russia and Ukraine, one of the most important grain producers in the world, poses a significant risk to increasing food insecurity by directly affecting food availability and accessibility. In today's world where sustainability is on the agenda, many issues such as pandemic, economic difficulties, war, energy shortage and so forth affect people's nutrition. Even if we cannot solve the difficulties we are in, it is of great importance to teach people how to eat properly in these difficulties and to show the ways to do so.

Making the best use of limited resources is of great importance for the continuation of life; with sustainable nutrition, both being healthy and protecting the environment will be ensured. This Research Topic therefore aims to collate emerging developments in relation to sustainable diets and nutrition, to guide us on how to use resources more effectively and how to be healthier, particularly given the difficult conditions and situations we now find ourselves in.

We welcome Original Research and Review articles including but not limited to the following themes:
• the nutritional and health effects of sustainable diets;
• the optimal diet for a sustainable future;
• sustainable diets and food security in a changing world;
• plant based meat alternatives as a part of healthy and sustainable diets;
• effects of global warming on agriculture and human health and nutrition.

Keywords: sustainable diets, sustainable nutrition, health, vegetarian diets, vegan diets, New Nordic diet, Mediterranean diet

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