In a rapidly changing world, the need for sustainable food systems and diets has become increasingly evident. The growing awareness of the environmental impact of dietary patterns and the need for innovative solutions to promote both human health and ecological sustainability is deep-rooted. The contemporary discourse surrounding nutrition often focuses on individual health, but a significant research gap in understanding and promoting diets that are not only nutritionally sound but also environmentally sustainable needs to be addressed.
The specifics of a sustainable diet differ globally because of cultural, regional, and economic variables. Diets may naturally follow sustainability principles in certain areas, while others may require modifications to meet health and environmental issues. However, previous studies have had difficulty explaining the global distribution of eating habits, which are significantly impacted by different geographic settings. Comprehending the correlation between eating habits and geographic locations becomes crucial. Asian diets and food systems, compared with those of the Mediterranean diet, are different: the Asian diet is known for using chilies and spices like Haldi (turmeric), and the Mediterranean diet is rich in fresh herbs and fruits with seasoning foods.
High levels of processed foods are included in fast food diets, standard Western diets, highly processed vegan or vegetarian diets, and some weight loss diets. These behaviors also conflict with population health, environmental sustainability, societal well-being, and commercial food production. This imbalance cannot persist and must be corrected promptly.
Highly processed, low-nutrition food contains unhealthy elements like sugar and salt. The mechanisms linking processed foods to illness are yet unknown. Observational studies, in which participants answer diet questions and have their health tracked, provide most of the evidence that ultra-processed foods are harmful. They found that consuming more ultra-processed foods increases the risk of cardiovascular illness, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, depression, obesity, and inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases, including Crohn's disease. Food industries can concentrate on boosting the market for sustainable and healthy food while lowering the supply of unhealthy food. This transformation requires a strong willingness to change and advances in commercial food system technology. Adding healthier ingredients to shelf-stable foods offers challenges, but industries that can overcome them may gain a significant competitive advantage.
This collection seeks to bridge this gap by exploring the connections between food choices, health outcomes, and environmental sustainability. The primary goal of this collection is to shed light on the challenges and opportunities in adopting sustainable diets. We aim to present a comprehensive view of the current state of knowledge, recent advances, and potential solutions to enhance the sustainability of our diets. By doing so, we hope to contribute valuable insights that can inform policymakers, practitioners, and further research in the field under the following scope and subthemes:
• Evaluating the environmental impact of different dietary patterns
• Assessing the nutritional adequacy of sustainable diets and alternatives to reduce processed foods in sustainable diets
• Exploring cultural and social aspects influencing food choices in the context of sustainability
• Identifying innovative strategies for promoting sustainable diets
• Analysing the role of technology and food systems in fostering sustainability
• Assess the effect of ultra-processed food especially among children and low-income communities on chronic disease.
• Assess gut health and health gut microbiome promotion by prioritizing whole foods
• Nutritional value and sustainability of cultural and culinary foods system which fosters a healthier community.
Keywords:
Food Processing, Food Production, Beverage, Dietary pattern, Consumers
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
In a rapidly changing world, the need for sustainable food systems and diets has become increasingly evident. The growing awareness of the environmental impact of dietary patterns and the need for innovative solutions to promote both human health and ecological sustainability is deep-rooted. The contemporary discourse surrounding nutrition often focuses on individual health, but a significant research gap in understanding and promoting diets that are not only nutritionally sound but also environmentally sustainable needs to be addressed.
The specifics of a sustainable diet differ globally because of cultural, regional, and economic variables. Diets may naturally follow sustainability principles in certain areas, while others may require modifications to meet health and environmental issues. However, previous studies have had difficulty explaining the global distribution of eating habits, which are significantly impacted by different geographic settings. Comprehending the correlation between eating habits and geographic locations becomes crucial. Asian diets and food systems, compared with those of the Mediterranean diet, are different: the Asian diet is known for using chilies and spices like Haldi (turmeric), and the Mediterranean diet is rich in fresh herbs and fruits with seasoning foods.
High levels of processed foods are included in fast food diets, standard Western diets, highly processed vegan or vegetarian diets, and some weight loss diets. These behaviors also conflict with population health, environmental sustainability, societal well-being, and commercial food production. This imbalance cannot persist and must be corrected promptly.
Highly processed, low-nutrition food contains unhealthy elements like sugar and salt. The mechanisms linking processed foods to illness are yet unknown. Observational studies, in which participants answer diet questions and have their health tracked, provide most of the evidence that ultra-processed foods are harmful. They found that consuming more ultra-processed foods increases the risk of cardiovascular illness, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, depression, obesity, and inflammatory gastrointestinal diseases, including Crohn's disease. Food industries can concentrate on boosting the market for sustainable and healthy food while lowering the supply of unhealthy food. This transformation requires a strong willingness to change and advances in commercial food system technology. Adding healthier ingredients to shelf-stable foods offers challenges, but industries that can overcome them may gain a significant competitive advantage.
This collection seeks to bridge this gap by exploring the connections between food choices, health outcomes, and environmental sustainability. The primary goal of this collection is to shed light on the challenges and opportunities in adopting sustainable diets. We aim to present a comprehensive view of the current state of knowledge, recent advances, and potential solutions to enhance the sustainability of our diets. By doing so, we hope to contribute valuable insights that can inform policymakers, practitioners, and further research in the field under the following scope and subthemes:
• Evaluating the environmental impact of different dietary patterns
• Assessing the nutritional adequacy of sustainable diets and alternatives to reduce processed foods in sustainable diets
• Exploring cultural and social aspects influencing food choices in the context of sustainability
• Identifying innovative strategies for promoting sustainable diets
• Analysing the role of technology and food systems in fostering sustainability
• Assess the effect of ultra-processed food especially among children and low-income communities on chronic disease.
• Assess gut health and health gut microbiome promotion by prioritizing whole foods
• Nutritional value and sustainability of cultural and culinary foods system which fosters a healthier community.
Keywords:
Food Processing, Food Production, Beverage, Dietary pattern, Consumers
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.