Table 1.

Food categories as related to health and environmental impacts for usual dietary patterns and levels of consumption^*

Major food categories	Nutritional benefits†	Risk of chronic disease & mortality‡	Environmental impact‡
Plant foods (whole grains, fruits§, vegetables§, potatoes and tubers¶, legumes, nuts, and olive oil)	High	Low	Low
Fish, seafood, and poultry	High	Low	Moderate
Dairy and eggs	High	Neutral to moderate	Moderate
Red and processed meats	Moderate	Moderate to high	High
Sugar-sweetened beverages and refined grains	Low	Moderate to high	Low to moderate

^*Order in the table based on nutrition, health, and environmental impact, not economy and culture.

^†based on EFSA nutrient recommendations (17).

^‡adapted from Clark et al. (18), based on per kilogram estimates.

^§ranges in environmental impact depend markedly on production method (greenhouse or field grown) and functional unit.

^¶when boiled or mashed, not if used as fried staple product.