A world population around 7.7 billion is expected to keep climbing past 10 billion by about 2050. There’s an urgent need to figure out how we are going to feed billions more people in future decades, without causing catastrophic damage to the planet.
A group of 37 international 37 scientists, a (supposed) mix of experts from farming to climate change to nutrition, published the “Planetary Health Diet” in The Lancet in January 2019. Like most other diet-plans it is immediately facing lots of criticism.
The researchers’ aim was to feed more people while:
- minimising greenhouse gas emissions
- preventing any species going extinct
- having no expansion of farmland, and
- preserving water
Recognizing a diet change is not nearly enough, they also seek to halve food waste and increase the quantity of food produced on current farmland. The plan requires diet changes in almost every corner of the world. Europe & North America need to cut back massively on red meat, East Asia needs to cut back on fish, Africa on starchy vegetables.
Already there is criticism about the new diet, so I won’t go into too much detail here. For example, the Planetary Health Diet does not completely banish meat and dairy. But it recommends we get most of our protein from nuts and legumes (such as beans and lentils) instead.
We are interested to note the new diet recommends 50 gms, nearly 55mls, of unsaturated vegetable oils per day. Avocado Oil fits this profile perfectly. Despite criticism of the Planetary Health Diet, it’s another wonderful endorsement for Avocado Oil.