Research
Mixed
Reducing meat consumption, particularly ruminant meat, is necessary to lower greenhouse gas emissions and blue water use while simultaneously reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
To improve your health and reduce your environmental footprint, focus on reducing red and processed meat intake. Replace some meat meals with plant-based options like legumes, nuts, and whole grains. This shift lowers the risk of chronic diseases and reduces your diet's environmental impact.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Research consistently shows higher environmental impacts for animal-based foods compared to plant-based foods... Reducing meat consumption also benefits human health, as meat overconsumption substantially contributes to the foodborne burden of disease.
Why this rating
Based on multiple systematic reviews and cohort studies cited (references 42, 45, 52, 53).
Source
Towards sustainable Dutch diets : From research to policy
Reina E. Vellinga · 2024
DOI 10.18174/644521
narrative_reviewCited 1×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Ultra-processed foods (UPF) contribute to negative health outcomes (obesity, diabetes, CVD, mortality) and environmental impacts, yet are often perceived as healthy due to marketing.Good
- Financial policy measures, such as fiscal interventions, are required to effectively reduce meat consumption, as individual voluntary changes alone are insufficient.Moderate
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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