Just Released Diet Guidelines

Below is the just released Diet Guidelines for Australians. A variety of vegetables, fruit and whole grains are on the increase. Unfortunately, they also recommend an increase in the consumption of dairy. I will have to speak with them about that one!

So meat, salty and sweet things are on the decline as are saturated fat and trans fats. At last the demonisation of fat is on the decline! We need good fats to be healthy and they come from plants (avocado, nuts and seeds etc). Fat, per se, does not make you fat. It depends on the type of fat.

There is also the recognition that diet affects obesity and chronic disease.

"Based on the evidence reviewed, key recommendations of the Guidelines include:

People should eat a variety of nutritious food; advice that has not changed over many years, but is now reinforced with stronger scientific evidence.
Most Australians need to increase our intake of vegetables, fruit, whole grain cereal foods, and milk products- particularly reduced fat varieties.
Some population groups need to eat more of some food groups and less of others. For example, some women who consume an omnivore diet may benefit from eating more red meat, while some adult males may need to reduce their consumption.
Most Australians may benefit from reducing excessive intake of energy-dense nutrient-poor foods and drinks which are high in saturated fat, salt and added sugar, particularly sugar sweetened drinks, if we are to tackle obesity and diet-related chronic disease"

http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/media/releases/2011/providing-scientific-evidence-healthier-australian-diets