Dietary Guidelines Around The World
We know that our bodies need the right amounts of macro- and micronutrients to support our health.
And countries like Australia and the USA have expended significant resources to gather the best available evidence about our nutrient needs. I wrote about the HERE.
But knowing our nutrient needs is only one piece of the puzzle. That’s because we don’t eat “nutrients”, we eat FOODS.
So almost every country around the world has made recommendations for its population about what to eat for health and wellbeing - or Food-based Dietary Guidelines:
“Food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG) are an attempt to translate a vast (and always incomplete) evidence base regarding relations between foods, diet patterns, and health into specific, culturally appropriate, and actionable recommendations. Such guidelines are intended to influence consumer behaviour and, in some countries, also inform a range of national food, nutrition, and health policies and programs.” Herforth et al. A global review of food-based dietary guidelines. Advances in Nutrition. 2019 Jul 1;10(4):590-605.
To check out the various Food-based Dietary Guidelines around the world, start here:
The US Food and Agriculture Organisation has complied this amazing list, with links to all of the various Food-based Dietary Guidelines around the world. Check it out here: http://www.fao.org/nutrition/nutrition-education/food-dietary-guidelines/en/
I highly recommend you take a surf through this list to see what different countries around the world consider to be a “healthy diet”.
In Australia, we have the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. For the evidence review that informed the guidelines, check out this document. It involved filtering 55,000 pieces of evidence and documents into a 210 page technical report.
The United Kingdom has its UK Dietary Recommendations, supported by its Eatwell Guide.
The Unites States' Dietary Guidelines (HERE and HERE) are supported by My Plate.
The Nordic countries, comprising Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, and the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Åland, have also collaborated to develop the Nordic Nutrition Guidelines.
Did you check out the various food and dietary guidlines from around the world? Do you have a favourite?
Brazil’s guidelines are my favourite, and despite their minimalism, have been very well-received around the world due to their focus on healthy whole foods, specific advice against ultra processed foods, and warnings about food advertising and marketing. Check it out HERE. What’s not to love about these guidelines?
Dietary Guidelines are not without controversy
The dietary guiltiness in America, Australia and other countries have been subject to significant amounts of criticism. A key criticism of government guidelines is the role of government, or more specifically politics and various influential interest groups. This largely because formulation of dietary guidelines is a political process, where a range of stakeholders and interest groups lobby for influence.
So in some cases, governments have stepped back from making strong recommendations against sugar-sweetened beverages, salt or processed foods. Many dietary guidelines have been criticised for failing to address environmental sustainability.
For example, Harvard University not only criticised the US MyPlate guidelines, they came up with their own rival Healthy Eating Plate: Harvard’s criticism of MyPlate.
I’m not advocating for any of these dietary guidelines, I’m INFORMING you about them so that you can make your own decision!
And that brings me to my homework assignment for you:
Write your own set of food and dietary guidelines.
You can adopt a country’s guidelines or pick and mix from various guidelines around the world or write your own from scratch!
Public Health Nutritionist Marion Nestle did this when the 2015 US Dietary Guidelines came out. Her “rogue” dietary guidelines are excellent and you can check them out HERE and HERE.