New Australian Dietary Guidelines

The last set of Australian Dietary Guidelines was released in 2003 and since then, there has been a stronger focus on foods being healthy rather than the idea of specific nutrients at that time. The supply chain has changed and so have consumer expectations.

Therefore the newly released Australian Dietary Guidelines (2013) are different to those of 10 years ago. To develop this new set of Guidelines, a review of about 55,000 scientific publications was done by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

The Guidelines are intended to give Australians and nutrition specialists across the country directions for maintaining the best possible health of us all.

There are many recommendations, including;

1. We need to be physically active and to choose foods and drinks that match what our body’s energy requirements.
2. There are five food groups and we should eat a variety from them all each day.
3. We should keep an eye on the amount of saturated fat, salt, sugar and alcohol we consume.
4. Breastfeeding should be encouraged
5. We should store and handle food carefully

The CEO of the NHMRC, Professor Warwick Anderson, said about the difference between the 2003 and 2013 Guidelines; “The evidence that links a healthy diet and reducing the risk of chronic health problems such as heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity and some cancers is stronger. There is also stronger evidence about the kind of foods that can increase the risk of weight gain and health problems.”