Assessing alignment of Swiss diets with the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet recommendations.

BACKGROUND: In 2019, the global EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet (PHD) introduced specific recommendations to promote sustainable, health-focused dietary changes in response to the increasing prevalence of diet-related diseases and escalating environmental challenges. We assessed the alignment of Swiss dietary habits with these recommendations. METHODS: We analysed data from 2057 adults (18-75 years) from the 2014-2015 national nutrition survey menuCH. We matched different food categories with the PHD classification and calculated mean intakes (g and kcal) per food category, standardised to 2500 kcal, expressed as a percentage of the PHD recommendations (PHD = 100%). We also calculated the Planetary Health Diet Index (PHDI), with higher scores indicating higher adherence. RESULTS: Of the 14 food categories, adherence was highest for fish and seafood (menuCH vs. PHD; mean intake in kcal/day: 41 vs. 40; 103% of the PHD recommendations), followed by grains (775 vs. 811; 96%). The highest level of overconsumption was observed for meat (all types excluding poultry; 255 vs. 30; 850%) and dairy foods (556 vs. 153; 363%). The largest underconsumption was found for legumes (11 vs. 284; 4%) and unsaturated oils (138 vs. 354; 39%). Males consumed significantly more meat than females (298 vs. 214). The overall PHDI was 82.2 out of 140 points, with women showing higher scores than men (84.7 vs. 79.3). CONCLUSIONS: Swiss dietary intakes exceeded PHD recommendations, particularly for meat and dairy foods, while legumes remain underconsumed. A shift towards more plant-based foods could improve alignment with health and environmental sustainability goals.