Healthy and Sustainable Foods

Course Overview

This course focuses on healthy and sustainable foods. After reviewing the crucial role of food for both health and the environment, we first look at the carbon footprint and environmental impacts of multiple ingredients and more complex foods. We also detail a health-based approach to quantify the impact of 5000+ individual foods on health, expressed in minutes of life lost and gain per serving. We then analyze trade-offs and targeted changes that can bring substantial health and environmental benefits with less than 10% caloric change. We finally address the health and sustainable performances of various diets, looking at disparities between gender, races and diets.