The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health has produced a report on how to feed a future population of 10 billion people a healthy diet within planetary boundaries. It says that a radical transformation of the global food system is
urgently needed and that there is substantial scientific evidence that links diets with human health and environmental
sustainability. An improved human diet could prevent up to 11.6 million premature deaths per year while ensuring sustainable food production to reduce further damage to the planet.

The report includes recommendations for a healthy and sustainable diet that will help deliver the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

It recommends a daily diet consisting of (in descending order of weight) where a portion is 80g:

Vegetables – 300g (4 portions per day)
Carbohydrates – whole grains like bread and rice 232g a day and 50g a day of starchy vegetables (3 portions per day)
Dairy – 250g – (eg one glass of milk)
Fruit – 200g (2 to 3 portions per day)
Beans, chickpeas, lentils and other legumes – 75g a day (1 portion)
Nuts – 50g a day
Fish – 28g a day
Meat – 14g a day of red meat and 29g a day of chicken
Eggs – 13g a day (so one and a bit a week)
Total – 1212g per day (15 portions per day)
The diet has room for 31g of sugar and about 50g worth of oils like olive oil.

The Planetary Health Diet calls for doubling in the consumption of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts, and a greater than 50% reduction in global consumption of less healthy foods such as added sugars and red meat.

This change could help ensure healthy diets from sustainable food systems for the predicted nearly 10 billion people by 2050. It directly addresses SDG 3: Good health and Well-Being, SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production, SDG 13: Climate Action among others.

More Information

A summary of the report can be found here.