The French have had the case for plant-based food made très clairement by the country’s dietary watchdog, with two reports that point up the benefits of greener eating, including that it reduces the risk of diabetes and other chronic illnesses.
Driven by the growing popularity of vegetarian and vegan diets in France, the health and safety agency Anses set out to establish the facts with two expert appraisals. The first, based on a systematic review of 130 epidemiological studies, sought to establish the benefits and risks of greener eating; the second presented dietary guidelines for people who are already or are considering going meat free or plant-based.
Not only did a trawl through the available evidence show that “the vegetarian diet is associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, compared with a non-vegetarian diet”, Anses said, but that meat free eaters are also less at risk from certain cancers (prostate, stomach and blood), ischaemic heart disease, ovulation disorders and certain eye and gut diseases. The reports did also highlight, however, the need for vegetarians and vegans to boost their levels of iron, iodine, vitamin B2, B12 and D, calcium and phosphorus.
Anses’s research informs decisions on the country’s dietary guidelines and recommendations, which can go on to affect important decisions such as improving the nutrition and lowering the carbon footprint of school meals.
Plant-based food has become increasingly popular in the land of the saucisson and the charcuterie, with between 2 and 5 per cent of French people now identifying as vegetarian or vegan, which Anses said was the reason for its veggie-specific reports. Environmental concerns are a key factor for many, particularly young people. Many universities have been enjoying a Meat Free Monday since 2019, courtesy of MFM’s sister organisation, Lundi Vert.
Read the report (provided you speak French!)