Healthy and Active Lifestyles Are Not Always Environmentally Sustainable: A DietaryWater Footprint Analysis in Mexico

Abstract

The environmental impact of unhealthy diets and the obese population is becoming clearer. However, little is known about the impact of ‘healthy’ diets related to ‘fitness’ lifestyles, such as diets directed to gain muscle mass and lose body fat, or the diets of the physically active population. This paper aims to evaluate the Dietary Water Footprint (DWF) of a representative sample of the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, Mexico, identifying differences according to body composition (levels of fat and muscle) and physical activity (type and intensity), with a focus on contrasting active, healthy lifestyles (i.e., fitness) with sedentary and obesogenic patterns and examining protein consumption. A validated and adapted Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was applied to 400 adults (18–74 years) from the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area. The participants were grouped according to their body fat and muscle mass levels and physical activity type and intensity. DWF, food and nutrient intake, and adequacy were calculated. The DWF of the sample with a low body fat, a high muscle mass, moderate to intense exercise, and anaerobic exercise (i.e., ‘fitness’ lifestyle) was up to 800 L per person per day (L/p/d) higher than the sedentary/obese populations. Risks of a high DWF were found as protein intake increases (OR = 6; p < 0.0001). Although unhealthy diets linked to obesity are a major environmental problem, ‘fitness’ lifestyles can have serious environmental implications.