Is the Planeterranean Diet the Key Driver Towards Health and Environment Promotion? A Narrative Review

This review describes the impact of current dietary patterns on health and food insecurity, emphasizing the need for a Planeterranean diet that boosts health and helps the environment. Current dietary patterns in most industrialized countries are both harmful for health and the environment and are connected to food waste despite existing policies to reduce it. Nutrition transition to Western-style diets, high in ultra-processed foods, increases environmental pressures and gas emissions. Sustainable diets promote biodiversity, reduce carbon footprints, support equity, and prioritize local, seasonal, organic, minimally processed, and culturally relevant foods. The Mediterranean diet and vegetarian diets constitute sustainable dietary patterns that benefit health and the planet. The "Planeterranean" perspective is a new scientific concept based on the Mediterranean diet, aiming to identify a sustainable food model based on locally available foods worldwide. The achievement of sustainable nutrition requires responsible agriculture, targeted policies, and community engagement. Universal guidelines must respect diverse cultures and regions, and a One Health approach is essential to improve well-being by ensuring food safety. This review critically evaluates the conceptual overlaps and limitations of these models and proposes directions for integrating sustainability and cultural aspects in policies and dietary recommendations.