Sustainable, Healthy and Affordable Diets for Children in Lebanon: A Call for Action in Dire Times

Abstract

Achieving sustainable, healthy diets remains a global challenge to meet the sustainable development agenda by 2030. The purpose of this study is to derive optimal dietary recommendations for children that consider nutritional, environmental, and economic parameters of sustainability, using Lebanon as a case study. Data from the latest national food consumption survey conducted among Lebanese children were used. Optimized diets were derived using Optimeal, a software that produces similar patterns to the usual diet while considering nutrition constraints (energy, and macro/micronutrient needs), environmental footprints ((EFPs): water use, energy use, and greenhouse emissions), and cost. Three optimized diets were derived that meet the nutritional needs of children aged 4–8, 9–13, and 14–18 years, while considering EFPs and cost. Compared to the usual intake, optimized diets included higher intake of vegetables, legumes and dairy, and a decrease in saturated oils, processed meats, sugar, salty snacks, sweets, and sugar-sweetened beverages. Overall, the optimized diets decreased cost by 20% and reduced water use, energy use, and GHG emissions, by 20%, 11%, and 22%, respectively. The proposed models consider various constraints and provide sustainable solutions for decision makers within a country undergoing crises.

Food sources of fiber and micronutrients of concern among infants and young children in Lebanon: a national cross-sectional study

“…However, attention should be warranted for the inclusion of lean red meats as part of a healthy, varied diet during this critical phase of children's development process, especially that earlier studies conducted in Lebanon have highlighted that, with the ongoing nutrition transition, the intakes of meat and poultry are following an increasing trend [46]. At the same time, this finding highlights concerns about the affordability of lean red meat, underscoring the need for targeted interventions to ensure that lean meat remain economically accessible to families facing financial constraints, particularly after the pressing economic, political, environmental, and health constraints that Lebanon has been witnessing [47]. In line with findings reported in the FITS study conducted in United Arab Emirates [27], herbs and seasonings have also contributed markedly to iron intakes among preschoolers.…”

Prevalence and Antibiotic Resistance of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli Isolated from Bovine Raw Milk in Lebanon: A study on Antibiotic Usage, Antibiotic Residues, and Assessment of Human Health Risk Using the One Health Approach

“…Per capita milk consumption was obtained from FAOSTAT and was reported as 110.95 g/per capita/day and was used in the deterministic exposure assessment [ 5 ]. The results obtained from recently performed Lebanese nutrition surveys were used as a probabilistic exposure estimation to derive the average milk intake among the Lebanese population studied [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”

“…To calculate the estimated daily intake (EDI) that shows the levels of exposure to the antibiotic residues, the average daily milk intakes among all age categories, as reported by multiple national representative surveys [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ], were multiplied by the mean residue concentration obtained in this study and divided by the average weight of each population being studied [ 35 ]. Those values were then taken into consideration to declare the level of exposure of the Lebanese population in both genders and across all ages.…”

“…Furthermore, milk production and the food supply quantity of milk and whole fresh cow milk have increased considerably over the past few years in Lebanon [ 4 , 5 ]. The average milk consumption among the Lebanese population was reported to fluctuate between 26.65 g/day and 813.4 g/day [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ].…”