What we eat also has consequences for our health and animal welfare
Which diet is better: moderately reduce meat consumption and eat more fruit, vegetables and wholegrain products?
A new study by the University of Bonn (Germany) shows that the answer to these questions is not as clear-cut as one might think, depending on which impacts one closely looks.
The Mediterranean diet (although healthy) results in increased water requirements due to the high amount of nuts and vegetables. Moreover, if, as assumed in the study, the meat consumed is completely replaced by fish, its effects on animal welfare are surprisingly negative: As fish and seafood are much smaller than, for instance, cows or pigs, considerably more animals suffer as a result of this diet.
The increased consumption of honey, which requires intensive management of bee colonies, also has a negative impact. “It’d be therefore beneficial to meet less of your overall protein needs from animal sources,” researchers emphasise. “In addition, many people today have diets that are significantly too rich. If they reduced the amount of food they ate, to what they really need, it might have additional positive effects.”