Eat well, but also respect the planet, echoing the challenges of COP 16 on biodiversity, opening Monday October 21 in Cali, Colombia: this is the proposal from Montpellier nutritionist Laurent Chevallier, author, with Claude Aubert, engineer agronomist, from the book “Make your food revolution!”
Which foods should be favored and which should be banned in order to eat well, while integrating data that are of increasing interest to the population, the preservation of the planet and the carbon footprint? The problems are often linked, explain Laurent Chevallier, nutritionist doctor attached to the Montpellier University Hospital and practitioner in private clinics, and agronomist Claude Aubert, who combine their knowledge to help us “take back control of our plate” in ” Make your food revolution” (Fayard, 19.90 euros), released on October 2, in line with the issues of COP 16.
Doctor Chevallier combines what is good for health and for the planet. DR
You have already written many books to help people eat well. This time, with agronomist Claude Aubert, your aim is not only to eat well, but also to preserve the planet, reduce our carbon footprint… is this also a concern of the population?
Today, when we talk about eating well, it is an essential component. There is an evolution in the way we eat, at three levels: first, we need a diet adapted to age, physical activity, the situation, for example for a woman depending on whether she is pregnant or menopause… And if you have cardiovascular disease, you have to be careful about saturated fatty acids, cold meats, if you have, like allergies, you will have to avoid allergens…
The second level, and whatever your pathology, your age… is to preserve a nutritional balance.
And then, the third dimension is to take the planet into account.
Which means what?
It is first of all to promote organic agriculture, which preserves the environment.
And there is a question that crosses the COPs, we have COP 16 at the moment in Colombia, it is how to reduce your carbon footprint. The way to reduce your carbon footprint exists, it exists individually. I give a number of examples. Of course, we must ban ultra-processed foods. But should we continue to drink coffee or tea, chocolate? Breakfast arrived very recently in French history, from the 18th century, with a rise in popularity in the 19th. These products, which come from very far away, have a significant carbon footprint.
Furthermore, countries that produce coffee or chocolate almost only do so for Westerners. This is a little less true for tea… and what does that mean? These crops are favored in countries that have difficulty achieving food self-sufficiency, which, as a result, eat poorly, or are forced to import food.
Now, the thinking must be global. We don’t have a second spare planet. It is absolutely necessary to integrate this data.
Do you think people are ready to do without tea, coffee or chocolate?
It’s not impossible, it takes time… When I carry out interventions with patients, whatever their pathology, I always integrate this dimension, which invariably makes you think. Perhaps we can move on to chicory, organic chicory, which, moreover, is produced in France… And to start with ricorée, a mixture of coffee and chicory.
People are a little surprised, then they say yes, why not?
We also talk about the avocado: to bring an avocado to maturity, you need 60 liters of water per day. Is this reasonable? Not to mention the carbon footprint. It’s a set. Some cooks suggest replacing guacamole with broccoli puree with Espelette pepper for example, bean puree… there are alternatives.
We are only at the beginning of this awareness.
“We are only at the beginning of this reflection”
Are the questions that part of the population is asking for a more ethical holiday, without a plane, affecting food, is it a revolution, to use the title of your book?
In terms of travel, the thinking has started, but for food, we are only at the beginning. Transitions should be smooth.
And all audiences can hear them: I bring this speech to social workers who work with the most vulnerable, the precarious, who can also make their transition to organic, starting with fairly simple things, like eggs for example.
Knowing that obesity is higher among the most vulnerable. You can eat well, for cheap.
You come back to more classic messages, on the quality of food: why should we avoid ultra-processed, refined foods… Longevity is stagnating in France, there is an epidemic of chronic diseases: it’s all on the plate?
The latest studies show that, in thirty years, there has been an 80% increase in cancers worldwide among people under 50… this is not an illusion.
Is food on the front line?
This is an important factor. There are others, a sedentary lifestyle, medications… But it’s a factor that we can act on, whereas as an individual, we can’t do much about pollution, for example.
The public authorities are not up to the challenge, they communicate and sometimes blur the lines, with the “High environmental quality” label, for example, which is presented as almost organic. It is not an alternative to organic… There are very simple messages in terms of food, they are known, they must be repeated: be careful of ultra-processed products, eat organic, less meat…
It’s not that complicated, and with Claude Aubert, we wanted to give a lot of space to scientific studies: the effects of ultra-processed products are very well documented, they lead to an 18% increase in steatosis (Editor’s note: accumulation of fats) liver, an increase in kidney damage, inflammatory bowel diseases, etc.
To put it simply, is organic the best guarantee of the quality of a product?
Yes, it is the best guarantee, and not more expensive compared to the costs generated by poor quality power supply. And there are other good things, the red label for example. The ideal is to know the producer, to know how he works.
“You have to pamper your microbiota”
There are also sure values: you are talking about eggs, organic obviously, and lesser known things, fermented products for example.
You have to eat eggs, fish too, and yes, fermented foods: it’s really important, which we talk to patients about regularly.
The number 1 objective is to rebalance the intestinal microbiota, subjected to a “chemical soup” of processed products which damage the intestines.
You have to eat fruit kefir, sourdough bread, cheeses, Roquefort, for example, although it is poorly classified in the Nutri-Score. Cheeses, especially blue, will help reseed the digestive flora. Fatty products can be very good for your health. Furthermore, the saturated fatty acids present in cheeses are less harmful than in cold meats, thanks to the synergy with calcium.
When it comes to nutrition, we are reviewing our reading grids, which until now were too mathematical.
Is the Nutri-Score reliable?
Established in 2017, the Nutri-Score and its colorful alphabet, from A to E, which helps consumers make choices about nutrition, was to evolve in 2024 on the basis of new scientific work. Before the home stretch at the end of the year, the Nutri-Score update, which is the subject of debate, has not been done.
“Some industrialists (Editor’s note: notably Danone) highlight certain aspects of the Nutri-Score, which is sometimes in bad faith, since they are only benchmarks for the consumer.” “It is appropriate to go beyond this and as quickly as possible”, suggests Laurent Chevallier, who returns to the controversy surrounding Roquefort, classified E: “Taking a small portion of fatty and salty cheese of 30 g does not pose a problem”.
You announce “an Orpéa-type scandal” for the practice of repackaging, what is it about?
A product that has passed its expiration date in cellophane will be served in the delicatessen section by unscrupulous people. You should never buy pre-cut ham.
In which brands?
It’s not a question of brands, it’s a question of managers, with sanctions not strong enough to be dissuasive. The public authorities are also not up to the task of controlling displayed French origins, for example.
What messages would you give if we only had to remember the essential?
Give priority to organic because we are less exposed to chemical substances and pollute the environment less.
Eat fermented foods which will better balance your intestinal microbiota. You have to pamper him. I do not recommend taking food supplements which may unbalance the intestinal microbiota.
And consume polyphenols and red fruits as often as possible, even frozen. And there are polyphenols in grapes, broccoli, olive oil…
A rich and balanced diet is not that complicated once you understand how it works.
