2020年12月29日下午,美国农业部和卫生与公共服务部悄悄发布了2020 - 2025年美国人饮食指南(DGAS)。当建议到达时,在假期中埋葬新闻是有意义的。令人震惊的是指南没有接受科学家的advice更新添加糖和酒精的帽子,或者批判性地在决定饮食时整合可持续性注意事项。现在,农民和营养学家都同意,最适合人类健康的食物也可能是健康的土壤,水和空气的福音,但是这种共生饮食方法尚未被美国政府采用。
我们的饮食对医疗保健成本和人类福祉的影响从未像今天更清楚。“通常被认为是增加冠状病毒严重感染或死亡的风险(例如肥胖,糖尿病和心脏病)的风险,与不健康的饮食无关。”气候联盟的食物董事会成员。美国无数COVID在美国的死亡归因于与肥胖有关的根本原因 - 这种流行病在Covid-19之前,在19岁之前,抢劫了太多美国人的生命质量和数量,而在冠状病毒中也是如此三倍one’s likelihood of hospitalization. Similarly, we are gaining more and more evidence that diet, climate, and health are inextricably linked, with rising temperatures and unpredictable, violent weather systems causing disruption to our food supply, water and air quality, and providing fertile environments for new pathogens and infectious diseases.
DGA可以通过营养,气候智能的食物行为来赋予美国人能够控制其个人健康和环境可持续性。相反,遵循当前形式的DGA不会足够远,无法减轻肥胖危机,实际上会加剧气候危机。如果美国最近的报告指出,如果在全球范围内采用了美国的饮食指南(甚至是预先日期),我们将需要大约3.5个地球来生产这种数量和食物的混合物。“Diets for a Better Future.”我们全都在2021年的积极和承诺方面,但没有任何乐观范围可以增加2.5个额外的地球。
To ensure thriving people on a thriving planet, we need a new approach. Food for Climate League suggests a radical one: the Biden administration should release new DGAs that marry our human health goals with our climate realities.
National dietary guidelines are the bedrock of what and how we eat as a nation. They should be the plates we aspire to. The North Star for living and eating well. For too long, these guidelines have been underutilized tools for addressing the climate emergency, both in and outside the U.S. By and large, G20 countries fail to leverage national dietary guidelines for the climate-stabilizing, ecosystem-regenerating, health-promoting, immune-boosting potential they harbor. From our own research and beyond, we’ve got reams of scientific proof that it’s entirely feasible to shift to diets that align optimal nutrition for all with climate-smart food production. (See:“未来50种食物”from Knorr and World Wildlife Fund for Nature UK,Menus of Change Principles来自美国烹饪学院和哈佛大学学校,“重置桌子”来自洛克菲勒基金会,或行星健康饮食from EAT-柳叶刀,仅举几个)。这种更好的方法的依据不是科学家,厨师甚至食客,而是领导者。气候危机在根本上是领导危机。而且,这种现实可能没有比美国在饮食建议中反映营养和环境科学的地方更明显的。
好消息是,在一个远离HHS和USDA的封闭式决策室(事实没有大多数政治过滤器的情况下),人们对理想的饮食模式的外观明确共识。新指南将从强调水果,蔬菜,坚果,豆类,全谷物和植物性蛋白质的植物前进方法开始。(我们说的是最少加工的食物。全食。真正的食物。)以肉类和奶酪形式的动物蛋白会扮演次要的角色,作为珍贵的调味剂 - 当然很有价值,但很少使用。这种饮食风格也称为“柔性”,在卡路里的卡路里和营养素中比当前的饮食更高,并且具有减少工业牲畜生产中饱和脂肪和有害温室气体排放的双重好处。该准则应赋予选择这种方式的个人目的感。他们应该鼓励对当地社区(无论是农民或餐馆老板)的投资,并强调在附近健康土壤中食用食物的免疫力益处。这种赋权和集体行动的感觉本身可以帮助减轻我们目前所面临的许多心理健康问题,通过培养一种自治,归属感和有意义的行动。
New guidelines should encourage consumption of biodiverse foods to increase nutrient variety, break our dependence on monoculture crops, rebuild the nation’s soil, and create a resilient food system. Instead of a plate or pyramid schematic to illustrate proportion and outdated “food groups,” we envision an engaging mosaic to beautifully present the plethora of craveable foods that support both human and environmental health. Make the items on the chart look delicious, enticing, and accessible, and stress the flavor benefits of broadening the spectrum of foods in one’s diet. Because eating in a biodiverse way is a culinary adventure. And based on FCL’s research, it’s best to focus on the enticing flavors and textures that await us rather than the ecological benefits. Rather, we can promote this way of eating as one that will increase a sense of control over weight and health management, that will allow us to explore new food experiences, celebrate our heritages, connect with our local communities, and positively impact the wider world. “The new guidelines should consider the United States’ power to transform livelihoods globally,” said Shaver. “The U.S. is a food powerhouse from what it grows and, furthermore, to what it consumes. Getting everyone eating a wider variety of nutritious, plant-based foods will enable a multi-faceted positive impact across all elements of society, in the U.S. and far beyond. This is a missed opportunity.”
新的指南还应包含美国各地各种文化遗产和食品的智慧,并突出显示其中有多少长期以来已经反映了上述营养和环境方向。让我们愿意承认殖民饮食和非本地食品并不适合所有人;取而代之的是,我们可以找到融合社区和行星豪华美食中新旧世界中最好的方法。(看Oldways的传统饮食金字塔,作为进一步的例子)。
推出新准则可能会很有趣,甚至为各种演员带来价值和新市场。例如,他们可以在较低的健康保险费中建造它们,或者是为服装,旅行,杂货或健康俱乐部提供理想的礼品卡,都是改变行为的激励措施。
从共同的19日大流行中,我们已经了解了很多关于人类乐队在一起以应对对我们物种的生存威胁的可能性的知识。想象一下,如果我们有统一的决心在不起作用的情况下承认,并且愿意大胆地扭转人类和行星健康的潮流。最终,无论我们是否很好,地球都可以。但是我们必须快速行动的原因是,重要的是,不能说相反的话。