INTERVIEW. Food: “You really have to look at the labels”, INRAE ​​expert Michel Duru explains how to eat well

Un expert nous explique pourquoi et comment manger mieux. ILLUSTRATION UNSPLASH. – Martha Dominguez de Gouveia

Michel Duru is an agronomist specialized in animal production and responsible for the agriculture-environment-health mission at Inrae. He explains to us why and how to modify agriculture and diet to stay healthy and preserve the planet. 

What should you eat to be healthy ?

To reduce the risk of chronic diseases, the important thing is our intestinal microbiota. For that there is fiber: whole grains, vegetables, legumes… 95% of French people do not have the required 30 grams. Then, we need 2 grams of omega 3 per day. Here again, 90% of French people do not have what is suitable. The third thing is antioxidants. It is found in vegetables, but three out of five French people do not consume enough. With each color, there are new antioxidants, that’s why you need to vary as much as possible.

Michel Duru is a project manager at Inrae. DR.

It would be enough to fill these gaps ?

There is also a problem of excess. You should not exceed 500 grams of red meat per week because of colorectal cancer – a third of French people are above this. We advise not to exceed 150 grams of cold meats per week – and two thirds of French people are beyond this threshold. There are also ultra-processed foods, which you buy in the supermarket and do not cook at home. This is currently a third of our calories in France, but the ideal is no more than 15%. Finally, there is a problem with too much exposure to pesticides. The picture is very dark. This explains the increase in chronic diseases, diabetes and cancer.

Why reducing meat is also good for the planet ?

More than half of the emissions on French plates come from meat. A day's worth of meals, over the course of a year, amounts to 1,600 kg of carbon dioxide equivalent. The fuel oil used for tractors is only 15%, the rest is 50% methane and nitrous oxide. Methane has a strong warming power because one kilo of methane is the equivalent of 30 kilos of carbon dioxide. A cow is 3 tonnes of CO2. And nitrous oxide comes from nitrogen fertilizer when it volatilizes. Without being vegan or vegetarian, by going from 110 grams to 50 grams daily, we will reduce our CO2 emissions by 30 to 40%. This is not ideology, these are scientific results. If we want to eat better, we must above all eat fewer animal products. The carbon impact of a simple plate can vary from simple to double.

How to eat well then ?

To be healthy and for the environment, you need a power supply called “3V”: vegetalized, varied, true. Less meat and cheese, vary fruits and vegetables and limit ultra-processed foods. Not long ago I saw a Toulouse sausage with glucose syrup… hellip; It's an additive, a flavor enhancer, bad for our health. You really have to look at the labels.

Does agriculture need to change to keep up ?

Radical changes are needed in agriculture. Currently, most of the agricultural land is used for animal production. We should double the consumption of fruits and vegetables and do it locally to avoid transportation over long distances. Of legumes, we consume 1.5 kilos (dry) per year, we should consume 10 kilos. The developments in agriculture are profound transformations.

It’is possible on a French scale ?

Today we use 25 million hectares to feed ourselves. If we were all like those who eat the most meat, we would need 35 million hectares. If we consumed “flexitarian”, 17 million would be enough to feed us. The good news is that this diet is good for your health.

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