The Keto Diet Is the Worst Diet for Both Your Body and the Earth, Researchers Say

Andrea Michelson wrote . . . . . . . . .

The keto diet, a low-carb and high-fat eating plan despised by nutritionists, is not only bad for your body, according to recent research findings — it’s also bad for the environment.

Researchers at Tulane University ranked six popular ways of eating, including the keto diet, according to their average nutritional value and environmental impact. Their findings, published March 1 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed a correlation between healthy eating and low carbon emissions.

While the study didn’t touch on every diet trend, the researchers considered the daily diets of more than 16,000 adults surveyed between 2005 and 2010. Then, they split the individual data into six diet groups: keto, paleo, vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian, and omnivore.

They found that the average keto eater generates almost 3 kg of carbon dioxide for every 1,000 calories consumed — that’s four times the carbon footprint of a similarly-sized vegan plate.

“Climate change is arguably one of the most pressing problems of our time, and a lot of people are interested in moving to a plant-based diet,” senior author Diego Rose, nutrition program director at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, said in a press release. “Based on our results, that would reduce your footprint and be generally healthy.”

Plant-based eating has a smaller carbon footprint

Food systems account for more than one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to a UN-backed study published in 2021.

Going keto requires dieters to consume about 70% of their calories from fat and almost no carbohydrates, so many followers of the diet opt for animal products with high amounts of fat and protein.

Beef production is a major driver of carbon emissions, so the researchers weren’t surprised that the keto diet had the largest carbon footprint of the diets studied.

The keto diet was followed by paleo, a regimen based on what humans were thought to eat before farming. The diet cuts out grains and legumes in favor of lean meats; fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds also make an appearance on the paleo plate. The ancient eating plan was associated with 2.6 kg of carbon dioxide per 1,000 calories consumed.

On the other end of the spectrum, the vegan diet was associated with the least amount of greenhouse gas emissions. Other diets low on emissions were the vegetarian and pescetarian diets.

How to eat healthier for your body and the environment

Most of the people surveyed were described as omnivores, meaning they eat some combination of plants and animals. The omnivore category was ultimately ranked as a middle-ground option for nutrition and sustainability. But not all omnivore diets are created equal.

Omnivores who followed a Mediterranean diet — which calls for a colorful mix of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, and lean protein — were ranked higher on nutritional quality and had smaller carbon footprints compared to others in the group. The same was true for the DASH diet, a heart-healthy plan that limits red meat consumption

Pescetarians, who eat fish but not red or white meat, scored highest on the Healthy Eating Index, a measurement that scores the overall nutritional value of a daily diet. However, the environmental impact of cutting out meat and fish entirely cannot be underestimated, according to the study.

While personal diet choices don’t impact the environment on an individual level, a mass shift to meatless eating would be good for the planet. The authors concluded that if just a third of the study’s omnivores began following a vegetarian diet, it would be equivalent to eliminating 340 million passenger vehicle miles on an average day.

Source: Insider

 

 

 

 

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In Pictures: Seafood Dishes of Kasho Chinese Restaurant in Ikebukuru, Japan

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FDA Authorizes First Over-the-Counter At-Home Test to Detect Both Influenza and COVID-19 Viruses

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the first over-the-counter (OTC) at-home diagnostic test that can differentiate and detect influenza A and B, commonly known as the flu, and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The Lucira COVID-19 & Flu Home Test is a single-use at-home test kit that provides results from self-collected nasal swab samples in roughly 30 minutes.

“Today’s authorization of the first OTC test that can detect Influenza A and B, along with SARS-CoV-2, is a major milestone in bringing greater consumer access to diagnostic tests that can be performed entirely at home,” said Jeff Shuren, M.D., J.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health. “The FDA strongly supports innovation in test development, and we are eager to continue advancing greater access to at-home infectious disease testing to best support public health needs. We remain committed to working with test developers to support the shared goal of getting more accurate and reliable tests to Americans who need them.”

The Lucira COVID-19 & Flu Home Test is a single use test for individuals with signs and symptoms consistent with a respiratory tract infection, including COVID-19. The test can be purchased without a prescription and performed completely at-home using nasal swab samples self-collected by individuals ages 14 years or older or collected by an adult for individuals 2 years of age or older.

The test works by swirling the sample swab in a vial that is placed in the test unit. In 30 minutes or less, the test unit will display the results that show whether a person is positive or negative for each of the following: Influenza A, Influenza B and COVID-19. Individuals should report all results obtained to their healthcare provider for public health reporting and to receive appropriate medical care.

In individuals with symptoms, the Lucira COVID-19 & Flu Home Test correctly identified 99.3% of negative and 90% of positive Influenza A samples, 100% of negative and 88.3% of positive COVID-19 samples and 99.9% of negative Influenza B samples. Since there are currently not enough cases of Influenza B circulating to include in a clinical study, validation confirmed that the test can identify the virus in contrived specimens, and the EUA requires Lucira to continue to collect samples to study the test’s ability to detect Influenza B in real-world settings.

As with all rapid diagnostic tests, there is a risk of false positive and false negative results. Individuals who test positive for either flu or COVID-19 should take appropriate precautions to avoid spreading the virus and should seek follow-up care with their physician or healthcare provider as additional testing may be necessary. Negative results for SARS-CoV-2 and influenza B should be confirmed, if necessary for patient management, with an authorized or cleared molecular test performed in a CLIA-certified laboratory that meets requirements to perform high or moderate complexity tests. Individuals who test negative and continue to experience symptoms of fever, cough and/or shortness of breath may still have a respiratory infection and should seek follow up care with their healthcare provider.

The collective impact of COVID-19, flu and RSV underscore the importance of diagnostic tests for respiratory viruses, and the FDA recognizes the benefits that home testing can provide. The agency will continue to use its authorities to increase the number of appropriately accurate and easy to use at-home tests available to the public, especially tests that detect these highly contagious respiratory viruses.

Source: FDA

 

 

 

 

Grilled Tuna and Vegetables with Garlic Oil

Ingredients

7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 small Japanese eggplants (about 1 pound total), halved lengthwise
4 small zucchini (about 1 pound total), halved lengthwise
1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
4 (5-ounce) tuna steaks (about 1 inch thick)
2 lemons, cut in half and seeds removed

Method

1. Prepare an outdoor grill for medium-high cooking over direct heat.
2. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, and parsley together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Put the eggplant, zucchini, and onions on a large, rimmed baking sheet and coat with 2 tablespoons of the garlic oil.
4. Arrange the vegetables on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, for about 6 minutes, or until the zucchini and onion are barely tender. Transfer the zucchini and onions to a plate.
5. Grill the eggplant for about 4 minutes more, or until tender and lightly charred. Transfer to the plate.
6. Brush the vegetables with 2 tablespoons of the remaining garlic oil and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm.
7. Coat the tuna with 1 tablespoon of the remaining garlic oil and season with salt and pepper.
8. Grill the tuna for about 1-1/2 minutes, or until the bottom is opaque and seared with grill marks. Starting at the corner nearest to you, slide a metal spatula under each tuna steak and turn over. Add the lemon halves, cut side down, to the grill. Cook the tuna for about 1-1/2 minutes longer, or until the tuna is just seared and opaque on the outside but still red in the center.
9. Cook the lemons for about 2 minutes total, or until seared with grill marks, and remove from the grill.
10. Transfer the vegetables and tuna to plates and drizzle with the remaining garlic oil. Serve with the grilled lemons so guests can squeeze the juice over the tuna and vegetables.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: Curtis Stone What’s for Dinner?

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