The Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee released a series of recommendations that may feature in this year's revamped version of the U.S. Dietary Guidelines. The committee was more focused on fighting obesity, while also endorsing an eco-friendly approach.

The report by about a dozen nutritionists and university researchers calls for Americans to eat more plant-based foods and less meat. This advice isn't new, but comes with an additional reason for heeding it: "lesser environmental impact."

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"These guidelines can have a huge impact on people's diets and ultimately our natural resources. The production and consumption of meat in the U.S. requires massive amounts of pesticides, fertilizers, feed, land and water. Particularly for us here in California, with the drought, reducing meat consumption can reduce pressure on resources like water," said Kari Hamerschlag, senior program manager at Berkeley-based Friends of the Earth.

Barbara Millen, chairwoman of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, said the panel was more concerned about obesity epidemics so much of the recommendations will focus on tackling this public health problem. In the U.S., more than 30 percent of adults and 17 percent of children are obese.

The panel also made recommendations for the U.S. school lunch menus and the Women, Infants and Children program, which serves more than eight million Americans buying groceries from retailers.

The recommendations are now being analyzed by the Departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services that will issue the final draft of the Dietary Guidelines later this year. Experts claim there weren't many deviations between what the advisory committee had proposed and the final draft's recommendations in past years.

Tagsdietary guidelines, veggies, vegetables, Meat, plant-based foods, diet plan, diet