A Sustainability Assessment of U.S. Dietary Patterns
Abstract
There is increasing realization that the dietary choices that we make have far-reaching implications for our health, for society, and for the environment. The food security of our planet in the future will be determined in part by the sustainability of the food patterns we follow today. The Dietary Guidelines of Americans do not currently include sustainability and there is a lack of studies specifically regarding the sustainability of food patterns in the United States (U.S.). The overall purpose of this dissertation was to compare dietary patterns based on U.S. data across multiple sustainability domains. The first study is a comprehensive review of dietary pattern studies that have examined sustainability outcomes. The second study uses U.S. data to examine environmental (land, water, and greenhouse gas emissions), economic (daily cost) and health (key nutrients, CHD & Stroke risk) outcomes associated with five dietary patterns (Current, US Healthy, Vegetarian, Vegan and Plant-Based). These two studies allow for a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the sustainability tradeoffs of different U.S. dietary patterns.
Subject Area
Environmental Health|Nutrition|Public health
Recommended Citation
Jennings, Rose, "A Sustainability Assessment of U.S. Dietary Patterns" (2017). Texas Medical Center Dissertations (via ProQuest). AAI10252093.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/dissertations/AAI10252093