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Health and environmental implications of the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet
Author(s) -
RUSSELL Geoff,
FERRIE Suzie
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
nutrition and dietetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.479
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1747-0080
pISSN - 1446-6368
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-0080.2008.00251.x
Subject(s) - red meat , fish <actinopterygii> , commonwealth , greenhouse gas , consumption (sociology) , food science , environmental health , zoology , medicine , geography , biology , fishery , social science , ecology , sociology , archaeology
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation Total Wellbeing diet allows high intakes of meat and fish with emphasis on red meat. A person following this diet could be eating 200 g of red meat per day or more. The evidence for the link between red and processed meat and colorectal cancer has been strengthened by recent studies. The production of red meat consumes large amounts of water, and generates high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating recommends three to four serves (each 65–100 g) of red meat per week. Compared with the lower end of this range (three servings (70 g) of red meat per week), consumption of 200 g red meat per day would use an extra 15 000 L of water in a week, and generate an extra 4.3 tonnes of greenhouse gas in a year. Thus, there are compelling health and environmental reasons for avoiding this diet in its usual form.