A Global Review of Food-Based Dietary Guidelines

Abstract

The objective of this review is to provide a concise, descriptive global review of current food-based dietary guidelines (FBDG), and to assess similarities and differences in key elements of a healthy diet articulated across countries. Information was sourced from the FBDG repository of the FAO, which catalogs FBDG for all countries where they are available, including a description of the food guide (the graphic representation of the dietary guidelines), a set of key messages, and downloadable documents provided by the countries. FBDG are currently available for 90 countries globally: 7 in Africa, 17 in Asia and the Pacific, 33 in Europe, 27 in Latin America and the Caribbean, 4 in the Near East, and 2 in North America. The year of publication of current versions ranges from 1986 to 2017 (mean 2009). This review provides summaries of the key messages and food guides that are used to communicate national dietary guidance, organized by food group, and evaluates the extent to which each set of FBDG includes existing recommendations articulated by the WHO. Some guidance appears nearly universally across countries: to consume a variety of foods; to consume some foods in higher proportion than others; to consume fruits and vegetables, legumes, and animal-source foods; and to limit sugar, fat, and salt. Guidelines on dairy, red meat, fats and oils, and nuts are more variable. Although WHO global guidance encourages consumption of nuts, whole grains, and healthy fats, these messages are not universally echoed across countries. Future frontiers in FBDG development include the incorporation of environmental sustainability and increased attention to sociocultural factors including rapidly changing dietary trends. Steps toward regional and global dietary recommendations could be helpful for refinement of country-level FBDG, and for clear communication and measurement of diet quality both nationally and globally.

Child and adolescent mental health service provision and research during the Covid-19 pandemic: challenges, opportunities, and a call for submissions

“…School closures have led to distance-learning and home-schooling-not to mention challenges to food distribution: school is the place where many children around the globe get a consistent daily caloric intake. School-based nutrition is a reality in both developing and developed countries [7][8][9]. Parents are experiencing increased pressure to work from home, to keep jobs and businesses running, as well as to support, educate and comfort their children at the same time.…”

Adolescent Obesity: Diet Quality, Psychosocial Health, and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors

“…Many countries, including the United States, have food-based dietary guidelines that include recommendations for food group consumption [43]. The majority of countries that have food-based dietary guidelines use five food groups, including starchy staples (grains for MyPlate in the United States), fruits, vegetables, dairy foods, and protein foods.…”

Exploratory Analysis of Nutritional Quality and Metrics of Snack Consumption among Nepali Children during the Complementary Feeding Period

“…Findings from this study indicate that guidance on snacks will be an important consideration as dietary guidelines are developed specifically for young children below two years of age. Though currently limited [36], national food-based dietary guidelines with specific recommendations for infants and young children are increasing and serve as an opportunity to aid caregivers in their snack-feeding practices. The complementary feeding period stretches from 6 months until 2 years of age, and is a period marked not only by the introduction of solid foods but the transition from 'baby' foods to 'family' foods [52]; food-based dietary guidelines could provide caregivers additional guidance on the types of family foods that are appropriate or inappropriate for young children.…”

“…Governments in both New Zealand and Australia have recently published dietary guidelines for infants and toddlers, and in both publications, snacks fed between meals are recommended alongside the recommendation to choose snacks containing limited salt and added sugar [35,63]. A recent global review of 90 food-based dietary guidelines found that while general guidance to limit salt and sugar intakes were nearly universal, only 28% of all national guidelines included messages to limit intakes of processed foods, such as unhealthy snack foods or beverage products [36]. There is a clear need for countries to expand food-based dietary guidelines for the complementary feeding period and to include guidance that can moderate consumption of nutrient-poor, unhealthy snack foods and beverages among young children.…”

“…This lack of evidence also likely contributes to the void of guidance on snacks for young children during the complementary feeding period. While dietary guidelines specific to this young age group have been recently developed [34,35], they are generally limited in number [36] and few provide specific guidance around healthy versus unhealthy snack foods and beverages. Furthermore, in low-and middle-income country (LMIC) contexts, access to nutrient-dense foods can be limited and so the effect of nutritional quality of snacks consumed between meals may be different for these children than those in high-income settings where overnutrition is the main concern.…”