Optimizing Sustainable Diets for Swedish Adolescents: A Climate-Friendly Approach

This summary looks at the benefits of adopting a vegan diet, based on a 2021 research article that used mathematical modeling to design climate-friendly, nutritionally adequate diets for adolescents in Sweden.

What is a vegan diet?

A vegan diet contains no animal products at all. This means no meat, eggs, dairy products like milk and cheese, fish, shellfish or even honey. Vegans only eat plant-based foods.

Benefits for Health

Research shows that well-planned vegan diets are healthy for all stages of life, including childhood and adolescence. They can provide all the nutrients the body needs through plant foods like grains, vegetables, fruits, beans and lentils.

The modeling study confirmed that a nutritionally adequate vegan diet could be designed for Swedish teenagers based on common foods consumed. It met daily recommendations for calories, protein, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals.

Going vegan typically leads to more fiber and unsaturated “good” fats in the diet. It avoids unhealthy saturated fats found mostly in meat and dairy. This improves cardiovascular health and may prevent heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

Environmental Benefits

The study found the vegan diet was lowest in greenhouse gas emissions (73% less than average Swedish teen diets). Producing plant foods emits fewer greenhouse gases that cause climate change compared to raising livestock.

If most people around the world shifted towards more plant-based vegan-style eating, it could significantly reduce emissions from the food system. Experts say this is vital to prevent environmental damage from climate change in the coming decades.

The vegan diet also used less land and water than diets with animal foods. Widespread veganism could help preserve forests, ecosystems and freshwater reserves.

Additional Benefits

Ethical vegans also argue that eating only plant foods prevents animal suffering on factory farms and allows more sustainable use of crop lands to feed people directly.

As the modeled vegan diet was based on typical foods consumed in Sweden, the research suggests adopting veganism may be easier from a cultural standpoint compared to strict plant-based diets recommended by global health organizations.

The model diet did not lead to malnutrition or extreme changes in eating habits. It also met cost constraints, showing an affordable vegan diet is possible using locally available foods.

Summary

This summary of a 2021 modeling study showed well-planned vegan diets can be nutritionally adequate, environmentally sustainable, ethical, and affordable while aligning with cultural preferences. The modeled vegan diet had health, climate and cost benefits compared to regular diets containing animal products. Widespread adoption of vegan-style eating could significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the food system and environmental damage related to climate change.

Eustachio Colombo P, Elinder LS, Lindroos AK, Parlesak A. Designing Nutritionally Adequate and Climate-Friendly Diets for Omnivorous, Pescatarian, Vegetarian and Vegan Adolescents in Sweden Using Linear Optimization. Nutrients. 2021 Jul 22;13(8):2507. doi: 10.3390/nu13082507. PMID: 34444667; PMCID: PMC8398609.