Panel 4 - Nutrition and wellness
As stated by WHO and FAO, changes in the diet in the second half of the 20th century have seen 'traditional, more plant-based diets replaced by high-fat, energy-dense diets with a substantial content of animal foods'. This, they conclude, has played a 'key role' in the upsurge in diet-related preventable diseases, the so-called 'diseases of affluence'.
Fortunately, illnesses which result from overeating can be prevented or reversed through changes in diet and lifestyle. 30-40% of cancers, 17-22% of coronary heart diseases and 24-66% of diabetes can be prevented by strongly decreasing consumption of saturated fats (found in animal products such as meat, especially red meat, eggs and dairy products) and increasing physical activity.
This panel examines the negative consequences of an over-consumption of animal products and the beneficial influence of plant-based diets.