This spring, the Health Council came up with six pieces of advice in its proposed “Dietary Council for good health and good life”. Now they have taken note of all input about having a separate advice on drinking, and make it simple: “Drink water!”.
Furthermore, the wording of the proposals for dietary advice has been slightly adjusted, following the consultation. Among other things, the advice has been rewritten to be food-based and not food-based.
– We have had the dietary advice thoroughly consulted and have done considerable insight work to ensure that the advice is clear and understandable. We hope the new advice is easier to understand and more motivating than the old ones were, says Linda Granlund, division director in the Directorate of Health, who presented the advice during Arendal Week.
Covers the body’s needs
The Science Committee for Food and Environment (VKM) has assessed whether the Norwegian Directorate of Health’s consultation draft for new dietary advice from 22 March covers the nutrient recommendations for adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women.
The main conclusion from VKM’s report was that a diet in line with the consultation draft could probably be sufficient, with some exceptions.
Based on VKM’s work, the Norwegian Directorate of Health chose to adjust some of the dietary guidelines so that critical nutrients are better covered in the final dietary guidelines.
– An example of something we adjusted based on VKM’s report was the proposal with two to three portions of milk and dairy a day. This was changed to three portions because we saw that you do not get enough calcium and iodine with two portions, Granlund tells NTB.
Choose mostly from the plant kingdom
The first piece of advice applies as follows: Have a varied diet, choose mostly food from the plant kingdom, and eat with pleasure.
In advice number two, it is emphasized that fruit, berries or vegetables should be part of all meals. It is further advised to eat wholemeal bread or other whole grain products for several meals each day.
In the fourth piece of advice, protein sources are taken up, one of the points that has been the subject of discussion.
People are encouraged to choose fish and seafood, beans and lentils more often than red meat, and to eat as little processed meat as possible. The much-discussed quantity recommendation of a maximum of 350 grams of meat per week remains firm.
– The quantity applies to ready-to-eat product. This corresponds to up to two dinners a week and some toppings, it says in the explanation.
Limit snacks and cakes
The aim is to make the advice easy to understand, easy to remember and easier to follow.
Advice number six was basically “Food and drinks with a lot of salt, sugar or saturated fat should be limited”. Here, the Directorate of Health has listened to the input, and the advice now reads “Candy, snacks and sweet baked goods should be limited”.
In the elaboration of the advice, it is pointed out that “In a varied and healthy diet there is room for these foods occasionally, and in small quantities.”
– By eating a varied diet and getting in foods such as fruit and vegetables, coarse grain products, dairy products and fish on a daily basis, a lot has been done. Then there is also room for some excesses now and then, says Granlund.
Lots of input
Alcohol and recommendations around alcohol intake were widely discussed after the launch of the Nordic dietary guidelines (NNR2023) last year. The Nordic recommendations included alcohol. The short form of the final Norwegian dietary guidelines does not.
When the proposals for dietary advice were up for consultation this spring, municipalities, research environments and health authorities called for advice on alcohol.
– Advice on alcohol can be included in the last advice, for example in the following way: Main advice: “Food and drink with a lot of salt, sugar, saturated fat or alcohol should be limited”, suggested the Institute of Public Health.
Alcohol is first mentioned in the guideline with elaborations and professional justifications. The quantity recommendation states “Drink as little alcohol as possible for the sake of your health”.
– One does not exclude the other
Secretary General Ragnhild Kaski of the alcovet organization Av-og-til is disappointed with how alcohol is mentioned in the dietary advice.
– The advice on alcohol use is very little concrete, and alcohol is given little space. Here, the authorities have missed a unique opportunity to raise the knowledge of the population about how alcohol actually affects our health. The Directorate of Health has stated that they are working with their own alcohol advice, they cannot come fast enough, says Kaski.
Granlund tells NTB that the reason for the lack of specific alcohol advice stems from the fact that they are working to assess whether their own alcohol advice should be developed.
– The dilemma for us is what gives the best effect out there. We agree with the knowledge base on alcohol and that it should be informed about. The hearings showed that there was an expectation that we mentioned it, and we concluded that one need not exclude the other. Therefore, we ended up advising that you should drink as little as possible and continue to work on whether there will be more specific advice on alcohol later in the autumn, she says.
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2024-08-16 20:57:41
