Climate change, resulting from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, is a major public health threat of the 21st century that the medical community must address. Food is a topic frequently discussed in primary care and is also a significant source of GHG emissions at the national level. Therefore, the combination of actions that are beneficial for both health and the environment has recently been conceptualized through the notion of co-benefits.In this context, our study aims to explore the knowledge, representations, and practices related to health- environment co-benefits of food among general practitioners in Indre-et-Loire.A qualitative study conducted between November 2023 and October 2024 through semi-directed individual interviews with eight general practitioners in Indre-et-Loire. The analysis was conducted without data triangulation, using an approach inspired by grounded theory.The co-benefits appear to be intertwined, offering a gradual and pragmatic pathway to guide patients toward behavior changes. A primary barrier to the use of co-benefits is related to the difficulty of aligning with a patient-centered approach. Nevertheless, some doctors mention numerous clinical situations conducive to the use of co-benefits and report various strategies aimed at adapting to patients' constraints.The lack of legitimacy among general practitioners emerges as the ultimate barrier to the use of co-benefits, primarily due to the political connotation of environmental issues, a lack of medical knowledge, and a feeling of isolation and helplessness. Coordination among health actors, as well as support from institutions, media, and industry, appear to be key elements in strengthening the legitimacy of general practitioners in utilizing the co-benefit approach.Co-benefits appear as a concrete tool for changing the care paradigm, which general practitioners can only embrace with strong support from the entire healthcare system.