Research Centre for the Management of Agricultural and Environmental Risks (CEIGRAM), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.
Research Centre for the Management of Agricultural and Environmental Risks (CEIGRAM), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.
Sci Total Environ. 2019 May 10;664:1020-1029. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.02.111. Epub 2019 Feb 8.
The promotion of responsible consumption is a key strategy to achieve environmental benefits, sustainable food security, and enhance public health. Countries like Spain are making efforts to reverse growing obesity and promote healthy diets, such as the recommended and traditional Mediterranean, recognized as a key strategy to improve the population's health with locally grown, traditional, and seasonal products like fruits, vegetables, olive oil, and fish. With a view to connecting water, agriculture, food security, nutrition and health, this research aims to investigate and compare the nutritional and water implications of the current food consumption of Spanish households with the recommended Mediterranean diet. Besides, we calculate their nutritional composition, compare their water footprints, and develop a new methodological approach to assess nutritional water productivity (i.e. the nutritional value per unit of embedded water). Results show that the current Spanish diet is shifting away from the recommended Mediterranean towards an alternative one containing three times more meat, dairy and sugar products, and a third fewer fruits, vegetables, and cereals. The Mediterranean diet is also less caloric, as it contains smaller amounts of proteins and fats and is richer in fiber and micronutrients. Due to the high-embedded water content in animal products, a shift towards a Mediterranean diet would reduce the consumptive WF about 750 l/capita day. Additionally, the Mediterranean diet has better water-nutritional efficiency than the current one: it provides more energy, fiber, and nutrients per liter of consumptive water. The study confirms the Mediterranean diet is a healthier and more sustainable diet with strong cultural heritage.
促进负责任的消费是实现环境效益、可持续粮食安全和增进公众健康的关键策略。西班牙等国正在努力扭转肥胖率不断上升的趋势，促进健康饮食，如推荐的传统地中海饮食，这种饮食被认为是改善人口健康的关键策略，因为它使用当地种植的、传统的和季节性的产品，如水果、蔬菜、橄榄油和鱼类。本研究旨在调查和比较西班牙家庭当前的食物消费与推荐的地中海饮食在营养和水方面的差异，以期连接水、农业、粮食安全、营养和健康。此外，我们计算了它们的营养成分，比较了它们的水足迹，并开发了一种新的方法来评估营养水生产力（即每单位嵌入水的营养价值）。结果表明，当前西班牙的饮食正在从推荐的地中海饮食转向另一种饮食，其中肉类、奶制品和糖制品的摄入量增加了两倍，而水果、蔬菜和谷物的摄入量减少了三分之一。地中海饮食的热量也较低，因为它含有较少的蛋白质和脂肪，而纤维和微量营养素含量较高。由于动物产品的嵌入水量高，向地中海饮食的转变将减少约 750 升/人天的消费性用水量。此外，地中海饮食的水-营养效率优于当前饮食：它每消耗一升水提供更多的能量、纤维和营养。该研究证实，地中海饮食是一种更健康、更可持续的饮食，具有强大的文化传统。
