B2 – Upper Intermediate
This article discusses a 2025 update from the EAT-Lancet Commission, reporting that adopting a more plant-based, flexitarian diet could prevent up to 15 million premature deaths per year worldwide. The diet emphasizes whole grains, legumes, vegetables, fruits, nuts, with limited animal products.
Read the article to know why the report also highlights that nearly half of the global population currently cannot afford a healthy diet so structural changes are needed to make this more accessible.
https://www.foodandwine.com/planetary-health-diet-eat-lancet-report-2025-11826819?
Vocabulary Questions:
- What does “premature death” mean? “The 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission reports that adopting a more flexitarian diet could prevent up to 15 million premature deaths annually and save trillions in healthcare expenses.” Use it in a sentence.
- What does “a sweeping study” mean? “In early October, The Lancet published the updated EAT-Lancet Commission, a report that builds on the highly popular 2019 EAT–Lancet Commission, a sweeping study that brought together scientists, nutrition experts, and environmental researchers from more than 30 countries in what they describe as the “most comprehensive global scientific evaluation of food systems to date.” ” Use it in a sentence.
- What does “prescriptive diet” mean? “And it’s really a diet that any culture, anywhere, can adapt to their tastes and local flavors. The Planetary Health Diet isn’t a restrictive or prescriptive diet.“ Use it in a sentence.
Discussion Questions:
- What do you think about the idea of a mostly plant-based diet to improve global health?
- Would you be willing to eat less meat if it meant living a longer and healthier life?
- What plant-based foods do you enjoy the most?
- Do you think this kind of diet is affordable and realistic in your country?
- How can governments or communities make healthy diets easier for people to follow?