The new nutrition concept that puts global health and the well-being of the planet at the center is called the'Planetary Health Diet'. The idea behind it is simple: our diet has a significant impact on both our health and the environment. Therefore, it should be designed in a way that benefits both health and nature.
Find out why this concept is so important and how it works.
What exactly is the “Planetary Health Diet”?
A diet that is good for people and for the planet – that's what the “Planetary Health Diet” is all about. The concept was developed by the non-profit start-up EAT, based on the results of an international study.
Unlike other well-known forms of nutrition, this concept not only focuses on humans, but also on the well-being of our planet. On the one hand, it focuses on the health of the population, and on the other hand, it is about conserving the Earth's resources.
Why is this holistic nutrition concept needed?
Global food production faces the challenge of keeping pace with the growth of the population and supplying as many people as possible with enough food. Although this has been quite successful so far, with the majority of humanity having enough to eat, the way the industry is currently operating is not doing either people or the environment any good.
Unhealthy diets that make you sick
While some do not get enough to eat and suffer from malnutrition, others eat far too much and/or poor quality food. This kind of malnutrition and constant overconsumption inevitably leads to rising morbidity and mortality rates. Today, unhealthy eating is considered the main cause of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and other well-known illnesses.
Respect for nature and its resources
The global food industry is one of the greatest threats to the stability of our valuable ecosystem. As already mentioned, our population is constantly growing. This also means that more and more free natural space must be converted into agricultural land in order to feed everyone sufficiently.
Livestock farming plays a particularly important role here. To feed farm animals, huge areas of agricultural land are needed to grow animal feed. As a result, nature is increasingly being pushed back and the balance of our finely tuned ecosystem is being disrupted. The consequences can already be felt in the form of species extinction and climate catastrophes.
It is therefore the responsibility of the food industry, as well as of each individual food manufacturer, to develop a sustainable concept for people and the environment.
We at VERIVAL are also constantly optimizing our manufacturing processes to minimize our ecological footprint. In doing so, we consciously rely on high-quality, healthy organic ingredients that are good for people and nature. This is because we have committed ourselves to respecting our environment with our 360-degree social responsibility. In this way, we want to help ensure that our planet remains livable for many generations to come.
The optimal diet for people and nature
Most studies on this topic agree: a diet that benefits both global health and nature consists predominantly of plant-based foods and less of animal-based foods.
In addition, the optimal diet contains few saturated fats, simple carbohydrates, highly processed foods and added sugars.
If we were to imagine the “Planetary Health Diet” on a plate, it would be filled halfway with fruits and vegetables. The other half would be mostly whole grain products and plant-based protein sources, as well as healthy plant-based oils and fats. Optionally, a small portion could consist of animal proteins such as milk and dairy products or meat and fish.
In short, the “ Planetary Health Diet” is a flexitarian diet. This means that it is largely plant-based, but can also include modest amounts of fish, meat and dairy products.
With our numerous vegan products, we at VERIVAL also contribute to a healthy, plant-based diet. Our range offers a wide selection for different tastes and thus makes it much easier to implement a “Planetary Health Diet”.
The road to a “Planetary Health Diet”
In the case of the “Planetary Health Diet”, there is no ONE solution for all people worldwide. Rather, local conditions and possibilities must be taken into account. For example, in the richer industrialized nations, the excessive consumption of unhealthy foods such as red meat and sugar must be reduced. By contrast, people in poorer regions of the world depend on animal protein from livestock to prevent malnutrition.
Taking these circumstances into account, the overarching goal is to increase the consumption of plant-based foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains and to greatly reduce food of animal origin. Only then can we make optimal use of the available agricultural land to feed the population without destroying further natural habitats.
The following strategies, among others, should help to achieve this goal:
Healthy food for everyone
In the first step, healthy food must be accessible to everyone. With our deliciously balanced and varied VERIVAL breakfast creations, we want to achieve just that: a healthy breakfast that is also good for nature, for everyone! That's because we use premium-quality organic ingredients in the recipes for our porridge, muesli and crunchy.
Quality before quantity
The primary goal of the food industry is to produce enough calories to adequately supply the growing population. In the future, however, the focus should be more on variety and quality. Instead of producing large quantities of a single type of grain as feed for farm animals, biodiversity should be encouraged.
Together with our farmers, we at VERIVAL support this goal and ensure greater diversity by cultivating old cereal varieties.
Sustainable production
Using fertilizers and water efficiently, promoting biodiversity and protecting the natural habitat of wild animals. These are some of the issues involved in the sustainable production of food.
Organic farming is already making an important contribution to this by, for example, avoiding chemical pesticides and artificial fertilizers. That's why we are very proud that we rely on the many advantages of organic farming for our VERIVAL breakfast products, and take care to treat our valuable habitat as gently as possible.
