Transcript Slide 1
Promoting healthy eating 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 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 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 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 • 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 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: 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 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 Non-Government Organisations • NGOs are not part of Federal, State or Local government structure and are generally notfor-profit • Nutrition Australia and the Heart Foundation are two Australian NGOs that promote healthy eating Nutrition Australia • Non-government, non-profit, communitybased 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 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