Would you give up 36 minutes of “healthy living” to enjoy a hot dog? That’s the trade-off, according to a new study that finds small changes in our diets could help us live healthier and more sustainably. Researchers from the University of Michigan have released a nutrition index to help Americans plan healthier and more environmentally stable diets.
The study evaluates more than 58-hundred foods, ranking them by their impact on the environment and health burden to humans and how many minutes of healthy life are gained or lost per serving.
- The foods studied range from 74 minutes lost to 80 minutes gained per serving.
- The biggest losers? Sugary drinks, hot dogs, burgers, and breakfast sandwiches top the list for most minutes of healthy life lost.
- And for the largest gains? Fruits, non-starchy vegetables, and cooked grains are among the foods that add the most minutes per serving.
- More specifically,