Germany says ‘Nein’ to sausages and ‘Ja’ to veggies, fruits and nuts

“Germany really has fallen out of love with meat,” Klapp said. “Forty-six percent of the population eats a flexitarian diet and are consciously reducing their consumption of animal-based products.” Flexitarian diets consist mostly of fruits, veggies, whole grains, legumes and nuts, but allow for the occasional meat dish.

Germany and other members of the 27-nation EU are trying to get people to shift to eating more plant-based foods as a way of cutting greenhouse gas emissions from animal agriculture practices, which now make up 60% of food-linked carbon emissions, and 14% to 20% of total greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations.

And since waistlines keep expanding from Doraville to Seville, policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic also hope that promoting plant-based foods will cut increasing rates of obesity and heart disease.

Though the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s dietary recommendations are similar to what Germany has proposed, Americans are simply not adding enough plant-based foods to their diet, said Bonnie Liebman, Director of Nutrition at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

“MyPlate.gov in the U.S. does contain the same recommendation, 75% plant based,” she said. “If we actually followed this, we would be closer to what Germany is recommending.”

In metro Atlanta, doctors and dietitians say reducing meat and dairy in one’s diet, even gradually, can bring myriad health benefits and help drop weight and keep it off.

Why? Fiber.

Only 5% of Americans are eating enough of it, according to the American Heart Association. Most fiber comes from whole grains and whole foods like nuts, fruits, and vegetables. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found just 12% of American adults eat recommended amounts of fruit, and even fewer – 10% – enough vegetables.

Yet it’s easy to add fiber to the diet, and the health benefits of doing so are numerous, said Dr. Rami Najjar of the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.

“Fiber is found in every single unrefined, whole plant food — oats, beans, fruits, vegetables,” Najjar said. He says the key to getting enough fiber is to munch on whole foods throughout the day. It’s even ok to snack – as long as the snacks are fruits and vegetables.

In both Europe and the U.S, policymakers have also warned of the risks of “ultra-processed” foods, which are made via industrial food manufacturing often containing hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, flavoring agents, and emulsifiers. Ultra-processed foods include potato chips, sugar-sweetened drinks, deli meats, and French fries. They have been linked to cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

Unprocessed foods, or whole foods, are plant foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, whole grains, legumes, plus milk, eggs, fish and meat, which usually require preparation or cooking.

In both the U.S. and Europe, health officials want their citizens to eat more plant-based foods because they contain the highest amounts of fiber. Fiber helps people feel full and eat less, which can lead to weight loss. It can also help lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or “bad”) cholesterol levels, control blood sugar levels, and reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to the U.S Food and Drug Administration.

How do we know? Two key studies followed over 130,000 men and women for 32 years, said Dr. Sharon Bergquist, an internal medicine physician with Emory Healthcare and founding director of Emory Lifestyle Medicine & Wellness program.

“They found that replacing 3% of calories of animal protein with plant protein reduced the risk of death by 12% when replacing unprocessed red meat, 34% when replacing processed meat, and 19% when replacing eggs,” she said.

Another large 2016 study compared the risk of diabetes among over 200,000 US men and women who consumed the highest compared to the lowest amount of protein from animal sources. It found that substituting 5% of calories from animal protein with plant protein was associated with a 23% reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes.

But there’s more: researchers have also discovered that the phytochemicals in plants can bring immense benefits to humans. Phytochemicals form part of a plant’s immune system, protecting plants from viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites. They offer humans some of that same shield by protecting cells from damage caused by environmental toxins, said Maya Vadiveloo, an associate professor at the University of Rhode Island Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences.

“Animal-based foods do not have fiber or phytochemicals found in plant foods, which are associated with health benefits including lowering cholesterol (fiber), decreasing inflammation (antioxidants), and promoting a healthier gut microbiome (fiber, phytochemicals),” she said.

Moreover, meat and dairy tends to be consumed alongside refined grains and other foods high in salt, total energy, and saturated fat, she said. “And that can be a marker for a less healthy overall pattern.”

Though beans, lentils, legumes, and soy-based products can actually cost less than animal-derived foods, one of the barriers people face is that they usually need to adopt a new cooking repertoire to prepare the veggie proteins, noted Rachel Brandeis, a registered dietician in Atlanta.

“That could be a barrier to entry for some people — they may not know what it means, or how to prepare it,” she said.

Brandeis says some people, like the elderly who often have lower intake of protein, might consider keeping eggs and dairy in the mix to maintain lean muscle mass. But she says everyone needs to ramp up intake of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. “We’re a nation that’s low on fiber. Look for the first ingredient on a product to be a whole grain. Look for brown rice. Corn tortillas are a whole grain. Farro is also great,” she said.

Another barrier? Simply finding the time to cook, said Atlanta-based Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, Jerlyn Jones. “Eating out can sabotage your health intentions because restaurant portions are large and easily contain a day’s worth of calories, saturated fat, sodium and added sugar.” She counsels her clients to prep meals on days off, and then freeze for use as needed.

Bergquist from Emory recommends that her patients adopt a two-prong strategy: to add whole, plant-based foods to their plates, such as fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts and seeds. The second step is to “flip” their plates, changing the proportion of plant-based to animal-based foods. “So, rather than a side salad with a 12-ounce steak, consider flipping the ratio to a large salad with a 3-ounce steak,” she said.

The goal, Bergquist said, is to fill the belly with whole foods so there’s less room for animal products or processed alternatives. She also noted that one of the biggest misconceptions about plant-based diets is that they don’t provide adequate protein. “Eating both grains and beans in any 24-hour period overcomes this limitation. The take-home is that you can get adequate protein with some planning. Variety is the key,” she said.

And for diets that contain 25% animal products, “it is unlikely that people will have nutrient deficiencies,” Vadiveloo noted, adding that some people moving away from animal proteins could benefit from taking a daily multivitamin.

As for plant-based, but processed foods like Impossible Burgers or Beyond Chicken Nuggets, Najjar from Georgia State says enjoy with moderation.

“They are still pretty processed, but they are definitely healthier than animal-derived meats,” Najjar said. “There are a lot of things inherent in animal meat that cause inflammation and drive cardiovascular disease. The fake meats are healthier,” he said.

The German recommendations stress grains as a bedrock part of the diet, and that’s a sound option for Americans too, said Maya Feller, a registered dietitian nutritionist based in New York.

“We have indoctrinated people to think that starches and root vegetables are bad,” she said. “But when you look across the globe, you see people eating these as the basis of their diets – and their health outcomes are better than in the U.S.”

Feller says the expense of whole foods in the U.S., and the need to prepare many of these foods at home, can act as a barrier to people who are working multiple jobs and short on time.

“I know plenty of people in Switzerland and Austria who make bread every week — my nephew, who is Swiss, learned to bake in home economics,” she said. “In the U.S., we don’t have that relationship to our kitchen and food — or to time. You can go to the store and buy a whole grain or a spelt bread in Europe that is affordable. In New York City recently, I bought three loaves of whole grain bread at the market and spent $45 to $50 — that’s just not accessible.”

Feller said she doesn’t steer her clients away from all processed foods, but instead teaches them to read the labels of canned or frozen options that can be lower in salt and healthier overall.

And she says the richness of food in the Southeast allows for a variety of preparations that can make a basic meal a healthy choice.

“In the American South, I see an incredible use of herbs and spices to enhance meals,” she said. “A plain potato becomes nutritious once you load it with fresh or dried herbs, peppers, and beans.”

How to get protein from plants