A healthy diet is good for the planet too

A new British study says that a healthy diet is not only good for people but also helps protect the environment.

British scientists studied how people's eating habits change when they follow a diet based on healthy foods. That means less red meat, more fruit and vegetables, and staying away from processed and tinned products.

This diet, recommended by the World Health Organization, would save seven million years of life in the UK over the next 30 years, raising average life expectancy by 8 months (12 months for men and 4 months for women).

What does the environment have to do with it?

Raising livestock uses up a lot of plant food and fresh water, and livestock give off greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide and methane). Fruit and vegetables, on the other hand, are plants that reduce pollution and benefit the planet.

So a healthy diet is good not only for your life but for the whole planet.

The study was published in BMJ Open on 1 May 2015.