The Superior Health Council of Belgium launches 12 dietary recommendations to preserve and improve the health of the population

The Superior Health Council (SHC) is the body of Belgian public health scientific opinion with the aim of guaranteeing and improving the health of the population. It is based on a multidisciplinary assessment of the current state of science to provide impartial and independent advice to guide policy makers and health professionals. In consultation with the country’s competent authorities, the SHC has drawn up an opinion on the priorities for food choices that should contribute effectively to maintaining and promoting our health.

The 12 recommendations proposed in this new opinion “Food Based Dietary Guidelines” (“FBDG”) concern the Belgian adult population. But the great novelty of these recommendations is to have taken into account the importance of the relationship between food and health, and thus to have been able to prioritize the messages in order of importance, which leads to a new reference educational tool: l’Épi Alimentaire (attached below).

The five first recommandations of the Epi alimentaire are about the intakes:

• of whole grains per day (125g minimum),
• of fruits per day (at least 2 fruits, or 250g of fruits),
• of vegetables per day (300g minimum),
• of legumes per week (eat legumes every week) and replace meats by legumes,
• of nuts or seeds without salt or sweet coating per day (between 15 and 25g),
• of salt products (Choose low salt products and avoid adding).

The next seven are about the intakes:

• of milk or dairy products a day (from 350 to 500 mL of milk),
• of fish, shellfish or seafood a week (once or twice),
• of red meat a week (300 g max),
• of processed meats (cold meats, prepared meats, etc.) per week (maximum 30 g),
• of Drinks containing added sugars (sodas, fruit nectars, etc.), to limit as much as possible, water remaining the drink to favor,
• of calcium, the intake must be sufficient (950 mg / day) via various natural sources including milk and its derivatives,
• Of polyunsaturated fatty acids (including omega 3), the intake must be sufficient, favoring rapeseed, soybean and nut oils and consuming nuts and seeds.

To know more, you can consult the full “Epi alimentaire” from Foodinaction and the FBDG file or the press release.

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