Healthy diets consisting of foods produced in a sustainable and resilient food system need to be regionally adapted to meet consumer expectations and to exploit the advantages of differences in production conditions. 9 Ruminants, however, while producing large amounts of emissions themselves, are fed on grassland not always suitable for crop production.Įven small changes in food consumption patterns can have large impacts on ecosystems. 8 Production of beef, lamb and mutton, and cheese requires the greatest acreage to produce 1000 kcal energy, followed by milk, pig, and poultry production. This transition has led to increased greenhouse gas emissions and extensive use of arable land for feed production.įood production is responsible for 26% of global greenhouse gas emissions. 6 With increasing standard of living, economic growth, and globalization, animal protein intake from meat, milk, and dairy products has expanded, 7 with negative impacts not only on health and environmental sustainability, but also on animal welfare. Increased use of plant-based foods to replace animal-based foods is one feasible strategy for reaching the targets, particularly in the Western world. 2 Some countries already include environmental sustainability aspects in their food-based dietary guidelines, 3–5 but a wider transition, including emphasis on the integration of the environmental, cultural, and economic dimensions of sustainability, is needed to reach the global nutrition and diet-related NCD targets in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. FAO/WHO provides guiding principles on what constitutes a “Sustainable Healthy Diet,” taking a holistic approach to diets by considering international nutrition recommendations, the environmental costs of food production and consumption, and adaptability to local, social, cultural, and economic contexts. 1 Environmental, social, and economic sustainability are all highly interrelated with health. 1 Low whole-grain intake has been identified as the major disease risk factor for NCDs in most WHO regions. At the same time, an unhealthy diet low in fruits, vegetables, legumes, whole grains, nuts and seeds, milk, seafood, n-3 fatty acids, n-6 fatty acids, calcium and fiber, combined with high intake of red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages, trans-fatty acids, and sodium, poses a major risk of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. The current global food system places unsustainable pressure on the environment through land use, freshwater depletion, increased greenhouse gas emissions, disruption of the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles, biodiversity loss, and pollution. This review discusses recent developments and outlines future perspectives for cereal grain use. Rapid development of new grain-based food ingredients and use of grains in new food contexts, such as dairy replacements and meat analogues, could accelerate the transition. Shifting grain use from feed to traditional foods and conceptually new foods and ingredients could improve protein security and alleviate climate change. When consumed as whole grains, cereals provide health-protecting components such as dietary fiber and phytochemicals. Cereal plant proteins are of good nutritional quality, but lysine is often the limiting amino acid. Cereals have been overlooked as a source of environmentally sustainable and healthy plant proteins and could play a major role in transitioning towards a more sustainable food system for healthy diets. Currently, only 41% of grains are used for human consumption, and up to 35% are used for animal feed. Cereal grains are the main dietary source of energy, carbohydrates, and plant proteins world-wide.
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