Promoting healthy eating

1. Promoting healthy eating

2. The role of Australia’s governments • In the past 20 years, obesity rates have more than doubled • The promotion of healthy eating has become vital • Let’s explore: • Nutrition surveys • Nutrient reference values • Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and Dietary Guidelines • Food Standards Australia and New Zealand

3. Nutrition surveys • Food consumption patterns and available foods change significantly over time • Current info is essential for policy makers, food regulators and health professionals • Random national dietary surveys have been conducted in the past • An ongoing National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey Program is being rolled-out

4. Nutrient Reference Values • Introduced in 2006 in Australia to replace the RDIs (Recommended Dietary Intakes) • The NRVs are a point of reference ensuring individuals know which nutrients they should consume each day • The NRV system uses four different values for each nutrient

5. Defining the four values • Recommended Daily Intake (RDI): average daily intake to meet nutritional requirements of almost all healthy individuals in a particular stage of life and gender group • Estimated Average Requirement (EAR): average daily intake to meet nutritional requirements of half the healthy individuals in a particular stage of life and gender group

6. Average Intake (AI): average daily intake to meet nutritional requirements when the RDI cannot be determined • Upper Level (UL): highest daily average intake that is likely to pose no effect on almost all individuals in the population

7. Australian Guide to Healthy Eating • A food selection model i.e. a practical guide to food selection • Incorporates five main food groups • Bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles • Vegetables, legumes • Fruit • Milk, yoghurt, cheese • Meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes • ‘Extra’ foods fall outside these five groups and should be eaten occasionally in small amounts:

8. Dietary Guidelines • A Federal Government initiative • Customised for different stages of lifespan: • Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults • Dietary Guidelines for Children and Adolescents in Australia

9. Food Legislation • Food Standards Australian and New Zealand (FSANZ) is an independent statutory authority having the ultimate responsibility for ensuring a safe food supply to consumers • Key functions of FSANZ: • Food standards • Food surveillance and recall • Food labelling • Food safety • Nutrient and health claims

10. Non-Government Organisations • NGOs are not part of Federal, State or Local government structure and are generally not-for-profit • Nutrition Australia and the Heart Foundation are two Australian NGOs that promote healthy eating

11. Nutrition Australia • Non-government, non-profit, community-based organisation that aims to provide scientifically based information to encourage all Australians to achieve optimal health through food and physical activity • Best know for its Healthy Living Pyramid (another food selection model) • www.nutritionaustralia.org

12. Heart Foundation • Mission of the Heart Foundation: “to reduce suffering and death from heart, stroke and blood vessel disease in Australia” • Best known for the Heart Foundation Tick program • www.heartfoundation.org.au