Australian nutritionists and dietitians are urging people to switch to a Mediterranean or an Indian-styled diet which is more plant-based.
The call comes as international scientists set new guidelines for people to reduce the consumption of red meat by 50 percent and eat double the amount of fruits and vegetables to fight global warming and lead a healthy lifestyle.
14 grams of red meat - and 500 grams of vegetables and fruits per day.
This is one of the first scientific targets set by an international group of health and environment experts to prevent chronic diseases and fight global warming.
The Lancet report, commissioned by experts from 16 countries, suggests it will be necessary to change eating habits if a growing world population of almost 10 billion is to be fed by 2050.
University of Sydney School of Medical Sciences Professor Brian Morris says the report is a wake up call for the world.
“We know that the dietary guidelines provided in the report are well supported by evidence for many years but the implementation has been very very poor, very low and the consequences have been terrible increases in obesity and the consequent diseases and cancers,” Mr Morris says.
Moving to this new dietary pattern will require global consumption of foods like red meat and sugar to decrease by about 50 percent, while consumption of nuts, fruits, vegetables, and legumes must double.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend consuming 65 grams of meat in a day but the guidelines do not list meat as a necessity; instead it is an alternative to beans and legumes.
Practicing dietitian and nutritionist Dr Evangeline Mantzioris from the University of South Australia says an average Australian eats about 90 grams of meat every day, and reducing it to less than 20 grams could be challenging.
The Lancet report recommends following a traditional mediterranean diet, which is primarily plant-based and emphasises on eating fish and poultry only twice a week.
Dr Mantzioris says Australians could learn to make nutritious as well as delicious plant-based meals from different cultures which are known for vegetarian food.
“When you look at the way that the Indian culture uses beans and legumes and the way that they use them in the Mediterranean and the Middle East, they are able to use them in such a delicious and appetising way. We really have a lot to learn from those cultures about learning how to include those foods in our diet and how to make vegetarian cooking more and more delicious,” Dr Mantzioris.
Dr Jyothsna Ramarao, a Melbourne based nutritionist, says there is enough evidence to prove heavily plant-based traditional Indian food feels light on the gut.
She provides expert advice to her clients, who are switching to a plant-based diet, and helps them follow a tasty nutritious diet.
Dr Ramarao says her clients are often worried about not getting enough protein from a vegetarian meal.
“Well that is a very common myth that I get asked to, where do you get your protein from? But when you eat a variety of plant-based food, that problem is not there. You get all your protein. You get protein from chickpeas, you get it from the lentils, you get it from the lentils, you get it from the red kidney beans, a meal which has say for example, lentils, a cup of black-eyed beans, a cup of rice, two rotis, a cup of salad and a bowl of yoghurt, then you get it,” days Dr. Ramarao.
According to the Lancet report, unhealthy diets are the leading cause of ill-health worldwide and following this diet could avoid approximately 11 million premature deaths per year.
The report also suggests following the recommended dietary pattern could avoid potentially catastrophic damage to the environment.
Consumption of red meat, specifically beef and lamb, has proven to be a major contributing factor causing climate change.
Livestock alone is responsible for producing around 1.6 to 2.7 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases each year.
Dr Mantzioris says the Lancet report's recommendations align with the low-in-animal-products dietary pattern recommended to meet the requirements of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
“In terms of the biggest impact we have in our diet is the consumption of red meat and specifically from beef and lamb. That's because both cows and sheeps are ruminant animals that produce the greenhouse gases, the methane. So that's why there's a big focus on this. So by being able to reduce the amount of red meat that people are consuming it comes a long way to meeting the agreements in the Paris Agreement,” Dr Mantzioris adds.
Australian medical scientists are calling on the government to take the report seriously and incorporate the recommended changes in the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
Professor Brian Morris with the University of Sydney says governments need to do a lot more.
“The problem is that governments talk but the action is often very limited. Really, this report calls for drastic action which is way more than what currently is happening. And that applies to Australia and every other country in the world, including companies that deny climate change and including politicians that deny climate change,” Prof. Morris adds.
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