Two thousand and five hundred calories a day, almost completely reducing the daily consumption of meat (especially beef) and going so far as to swallow up to half a kilo of fruit and vegetables. This is the "universal reference diet" suggested by the prestigious English scientific journal The Lancet, with a dual purpose: to protect our health, but also that of our planet, which according to forecasts in just 30 years will be populated by 10 billion people.
It was developed by the Commission's 37 nutrition and sustainability experts (including Tim Lang, inventor of the "zero kilometre" and Harvard professor Walter Willett), from universities in 16 countries around the world and from organizations such as Fao and WHO: “Following the advice of the universal diet can also allow avoid up to 11,6 million deaths annually due to diseases related to bad eating habits,” says the study, which also reveals that eating badly is even more dangerous than smoking, having unprotected sex and drinking alcohol.
The universal diet proposed by The Lancet basically calls for doubling the global consumption of fruit, vegetables, legumes and nuts, instead of reducing that of red meat and sugars by more than 50%, and strongly advises the use of vegetable oils as condiments , extra virgin olive oil or rapeseed. In detail, here are the recommended daily amounts: 230 grams of whole grains, 500 of fruit and vegetables, 250 of dairy products, 14 of meat (beef or pork or sheep), 29 of chicken, 13 of eggs, 28 of fish, 75 of legumes, 50 of nuts, 31 of sugars (added and not), 29 of fibers. For every 15 grams of additional cereal consumed daily, the incidence of heart attack, colon cancer and diabetes decreases by a percentage ranging from 2 to 19.
