The new index was developed from the Global Burden of Disease study, in which the total incidence of and mortality from given illnesses were linked to single food choices by individuals. In their study, the researchers considered 5,800 different foods including hot dogs, pizzas, yoghurts and cheeses in terms of both their impact on human health as well as on the environment.įor the former, the team developed a new, epidemiology-based rating dubbed the 'Health Nutritional Index', which calculates the health burden of given servings of food in terms of the minutes of healthy living lost or gained from eating them. 'Our findings demonstrate that small targeted substitutions offer a feasible and powerful strategy to achieve significant health and environmental benefits - without requiring dramatic dietary shifts.' 'The urgency of dietary changes to improve human health and the environment is clear,' said Professor Jolliet. The study was undertaken by environmental health expert Olivier Jolliet of the University of Michigan and colleagues. This, they explained, could allow you to gain an extra 48 minutes of healthy living per day, while also slashing your dietary carbon footprint by around a third. They suggest switching 10 per cent of your daily caloric intake from beef and processed meats to a mix of fruits, legumes, nuts, select seafoods and vegetables. They say that chicken wings can cost you 3.3 minutes of robust living whereas salted peanuts and baked salmon gain you some 26 and 16 minutes, respectively.Īlongside the health costs, the team also examined the life-cycle of each food from production to consumption and waste to determine their environmental impacts.īased on their findings, the team has developed some simple, minor dietary substitutions that could help people eat more healthily - and sustainably. This is the question posed by experts led from the University of Michigan, who have evaluated more than 5,000 foods by how much they affect your healthiness. But is a hot dog really worth losing 36 minutes of healthy living? A fresh bun, that juicy meat, a dash of onions and slathering of mustard - it makes the mouth water.