Beans and peas rank as best meat and milk replacement from nutritional, health, environmental and cost perspectives: New study
Beans and peas rank best as meat and milk replacement from nutritional, health, environmental, and cost perspectives, a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has found. “They outperformed processed products like veggie burgers and plant milks, but also lab-grown meat which ranked worst.” (Springmann, 2024; Environmental Institute for Change at the University of Oxford, 2024)
“The study, led by Dr Marco Springmann from the Environmental Change institute at the University of Oxford and the Institute for Global Health at University College London, combined nutrition, health, environmental, and cost assessments to compare the impacts of meat and milk with replacement products. The study assessed traditional products such as tofu and tempeh, processed alternatives such as veggie burgers and plant milks, prospective products such as lab-grown beef, as well as unprocessed foods such as soybeans and peas.
The findings show that unprocessed plant-based foods such as soybeans, peas, and beans are best suited for replacing meat and dairy. Choosing legumes over meat and milk would reduce nutritional imbalances in high-income countries like the UK, US, and Europe by half, mortality in particular from diet-related diseases by a tenth, the environmental impacts of diets such as greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water use by more than half, and costs by more than a third.” (Springmann, 2024; Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, December 2024)
Dr Springmann said:
“Reducing meat and dairy in high-income countries is essential for limiting climate change, biodiversity loss, and improving health. Our study shows that a range of foods and food products exist that would have multiple benefits when replacing meat and dairy in current diets.”
“Despite not being the front runner, processed plant-based foods such as veggie burgers and plant milks still resulted in substantial benefits when replacing meat and dairy, but the emissions reductions and health improvements were a fifth to a third less than when choosing unprocessed legumes, and costs to the consumer were a tenth higher than those of current diets.”(Springmann, 2024; Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford)
Dr Springmann added:
“Unprocessed legumes such as peas and beans were the clear winner in our assessment. They performed well from all perspectives, including nutritional, health, environmental, and cost. But a surprising runner-up was tempeh, a traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans, which retains much of the nutritional properties of soybeans without much processing or additives. This and the relatively low cost gave it an edge over more processed alternatives such as veggie burgers.” (Springmann, 2024; Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford, December 2024)
Soybeans and peas for the win
“The study, published in [the scientific journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences] PNAS, compares how replacing meat and dairy with plant alternatives would impact nutrition, health, economics and the environment. “
“We considered comparisons along multiple and complementary units of measurement, including per serving and calorie; and we included comparisons per product as well as per overall diets in dedicated replacement analyses,” details the report.
The study states that unprocessed plant-based foods “were the best overall performers for replacing meat and dairy in high-income countries.” Obtaining the same levels of calories from peas and soybeans instead of animal products reduced nutritional imbalances (48%), mortality (11%), food-related greenhouse gas emissions (60%), land use (56%), water use (43%) and diet costs (41%).
Processed alternatives such as veggie burgers and soy milk did not have the same benefits in health, costs and greenhouse gas emissions, but they were linked to reduced land and water use. Moreover, the research links these products to 33% greater improvements in nutritional imbalances by complementing nutrients, such as vitamin B12.” (van Hal, 2024; Springmann, 2024)
Nutrient intake of plant-based foods
“The University of Oxford research assessed the intake of various macro- and micronutrients, focusing on key nutrients where people generally fail to meet recommendations. Switching to plant-based foods helped reduce mortality (5–6%) and lower nutritional imbalances from 10% to 5–6%.”
“The main nutrient changes were lower saturated fat intake (41%) and increases in fiber (20%) and potassium (12%). The study also found smaller reductions in zinc (8%), vitamin A (6%) and vitamin B12 (4%) intake. “
“Soybeans, peas and beans were the plant-based products most strongly linked to these health benefits, followed by veggie burgers, tempeh, veggie sausages and tofu. Soybeans, almonds, almond milk, oat milk and soy milk offer the largest reductions in nutritional imbalances among milk alternatives.” (van Hal, 2024; Springmann, 2024)
“The study calls for supportive public policies and food environments to increase consumption of plant-based alternatives. Although unprocessed plant-based foods performed best in the assessment, the author cautions that replacing meats with soybeans could increase nutritional deficiencies such as vitamin B12.
Moreover, many processed meat alternatives are classified as ultra-processed foods, which have been linked to overeating and weight gain in randomized controlled trials.” (van Hal, 2024; Springmann, 2024)
Increasing uptake
“The author expects that increasing uptake of assessed plant-based alternatives might be contingent on supportive public policies and food environments.”
“Increasing consumption of legumes, for example, could benefit from public information campaigns such as national guidelines outlining how they can form part of healthy and sustainable meals, alignment of agricultural subsidies and business approaches that focus less on single products, but on integrating legumes in meals and diets,” reads the report.
“The high prices of processed plant-based foods limit consumers’ uptake of them. In addition to scaling and improving production, the study suggests that a “true cost approach,” integrating health and environmental costs into prices, could help signal meat and dairy’s health and environmental benefits.”
The study also warns that replacing all meat and dairy with one or two alternative foods could increase pressures on natural resource use. “Adopting a whole diet perspective could address such issues of overreliance by diversifying replacement foods and balancing nutritional, environmental and cost aspects at the level of diets and meals,” it concludes.” (van Hal, 2024; Springmann 2024)
See the link below for a quick vegetarian version of the Brazilian national dish known as feijoada. This vegetarian stew entices the eye with the colorful contrast of black beans and sweet potatoes and pleases the palate with nourishing ingredients. Perfect for any family dinner or celebration with guests!
Brazilian Black Bean Stew
References
Springmann M. A multicriteria analysis of meat and milk alternatives from nutritional, health, environmental, and cost perspectives. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024;121(50):e2319010121. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2319010121.
Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. Beans and peas best meat alternative, veggie burgers second, lab-grown meat worst, according to new research. Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. December 2, 2024. Available at: https://www.eci.ox.ac.uk/news/beans-and-peas-best-meat-alternative-veggie-burgers-second-lab-grown-meat-worst-according-new
Van Hal J. Ditch the meat, save the planet: Oxford study touts environmental and health benefits of plant-based foods. Nutrition Insight. December 18, 2024. Available at: https://www.nutritioninsight.com/news/ditch-the-meat-save-the-planet-oxford-study-touts-environmental-and-health-benefits-of-plant-based-foods.html