Abstract
Food production greatly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), but there remain concerns that consuming environmentally sustainable foods can increase the likelihood of nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy. We identified commonly consumed foods of pregnant women and determined the effect of their replacement with environmentally sustainable alternatives on nutrient intake and measures of environmental sustainability. Dietary intake data from 171 pregnant women was assessed and foods that contributed the most to energy and protein intake were identified. Of these, foods producing the highest GHG emissions were matched with proposed environmentally sustainable alternatives, and their impact on nutrient provision determined. Meats, grains, and dairy products were identified as important sources of energy and protein. With the highest GHG emissions, beef was selected as the reference food. Proposed alternatives included chicken, eggs, fish, tofu, legumes, and nuts. The most pronounced reductions in CO2 emissions were from replacing beef with tofu, legumes, and nuts. Replacing one serve per week of beef with an isocaloric serve of firm tofu during pregnancy could reduce GHG emissions by 372 kg CO2 eq and increase folate (+28.1 µg/serve) and fiber (+3.3 g/serve) intake without compromising iron (+1.1 mg/serve) intake. Small dietary substitutions with environmentally sustainable alternatives can substantially reduce environmental impact without compromising nutrient adequacy.
Highlights
Boden Collaboration for Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise and Eating Disorders, The University of Sydney, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
The food production system is a major contributor to global warming and environmental change, through greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, freshwater use, land use, acidification, and eutrophication [1]
We modeled the effect on nutrient reference values (NRVs) of replacing one serve of beef with an isoenergetic serve of firm tofu in this population
Summary
Boden Collaboration for Obesity, Nutrition, Exercise and Eating Disorders, The University of Sydney, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Food production greatly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), but there remain concerns that consuming environmentally sustainable foods can increase the likelihood of nutritional deficiencies during pregnancy. We identified commonly consumed foods of pregnant women and determined the effect of their replacement with environmentally sustainable alternatives on nutrient intake and measures of environmental sustainability. Foods producing the highest GHG emissions were matched with proposed environmentally sustainable alternatives, and their impact on nutrient provision determined. Replacing one serve per week of beef with an isocaloric serve of firm tofu during pregnancy could reduce GHG emissions by 372 kg CO2 eq and increase folate (+28.1 μg/serve) and fiber (+3.3 g/serve) intake without compromising iron (+1.1 mg/serve) intake. Small dietary substitutions with environmentally sustainable alternatives can substantially reduce environmental impact without compromising nutrient adequacy. Food and Agricultural Organization, there is an urgent need to shift to environmentally sustainable diets on a global scale, by moving towards greater consumption of plant-based foods and reducing the production of less environmentally sustainable animal-derived products [1,2]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
