ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
Adapting the EAT-Lancet Diet for West Africa: Protein Quality and Micronutrient Inadequacies Improved Through Nutrient Dense Foods
Provisionally accepted
- 1School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
- 2Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Washington, Seattle, United States
- 3The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Gillings School of Global Public Health, Chapel Hill, United States
- 4Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Geneva, Switzerland
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Background: The EAT-Lancet planetary health diet was designed as a universal nutritionally adequate diet with minimal environmental impact. We aim to assess and propose revisions to increase its nutrient adequacy in the context of West Africa based on the local food supply. Methods: We created a model EAT-Lancet diet using nutrient composition data from the FAO's Food Composition Tables for Western Africa (WAFCT). Median energy and nutrient profiles of EAT-Lancet diet food groups were calculated using WAFCT foods (n=596). Protein content was adjusted using the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS). We multiplied the recommended EAT-Lancet diet intake for each food subgroup by these medians to determine daily nutrient intake. Nutrient adequacy was determined based on alignment with the FAO Codex nutrient reference values for adults. The Nutrient Rich Food (NRF) index, based on priority micronutrients, defined nutrient density. Isocaloric revisions were made to the EAT-Lancet diet to enhance its nutrient adequacy using WAFCT foods. Results: Total energy of the modeled diet was 2516 kcal/day. Total protein was 87g/day while PDCAAS corrected protein was 62g/day. Micronutrient shortfalls were observed for zinc, calcium, and vitamin A but not for iron, folate, and vitamin B12. Increasing intake of nutrient-rich liver, small dried fish, and pulses, while reducing whole grains and tree nuts, achieved micronutrient adequacy. Conclusion: When analyzed using foods available in West Africa, the EAT-Lancet diet may provide adequate protein but not vitamin A, zinc, and calcium. Future iterations of the diet should consider including categories for micronutrient dense foods to ensure adequacy.
Keywords: planetary health diet, Sustainable food systems, West Africa, Nutrient rich foods, Global nutrition, EAT-Lancet diet, Micronutrient adequacy
Received: 25 Jul 2025; Accepted: 12 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Sanders, Alia, Lara-Arevalo, Beal and Drewnowski. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Hannah Sanders
Adam Drewnowski
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