Do Swiss Diets Align With The Planetary Health Diet Recommendations?

Introduction: The rising prevalence of diet-related diseases and growing environmental concerns highlight the urgent need for sustainable and health-conscious dietary shifts. The global EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet (PHD) recommendations published in 2019 provide scientific guidance for substantial dietary changes.

Objectives: We assessed the alignment of Swiss dietary habits with these recommendations.

Methods: We analysed data from 2057 adults (aged 18-75 years) from the 2014–2015 national nutrition survey menuCH. Food categories were matched to the PHD classification. Mean intakes (g and kcal) for each food category were calculated, standardised to 2500 kcal and expressed as a percentage of the PHD recommendations (PHD=100%). In addition, we calculated the Planetary Health Diet Index, with higher scores indicating greater adherence to the PHD recommendations.

Results: Of the 14 food categories, adherence was highest for nuts and seeds (menuCh vs PHD) (mean intake in kcal/day: 248 vs. 291; 85% of the PHD recommendations), followed by fruits (106 vs. 126; 84%). The greatest overconsumption was observed for meat (all types except poultry; 264 vs. 30; 880%), followed by eggs (77 vs. 19; 405%; [Fig. 1]). The largest underconsumption was found for legumes (15 vs. 284; 5%), followed by unsaturated oils (116 vs. 354; 33%). Sex differences showed that men consumed a higher proportion of their calories from meat and sugar (302 and 109) compared to women (231 and 89). The overall Planetary Health Diet Index was 82.2 out of 140 points, with women scoring higher than men (84.7 vs. 79.3).

Fig. 1  

Conclusion: Swiss dietary intakes exceeded PHD recommendations, particularly for meat and eggs, while legumes remain underconsumed. A dietary shift towards more plant-based foods and less consumption of animal products could improve alignment with health and environmental sustainability goals.

Publication History

Article published online:
25 May 2025