Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-fscjk Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T02:44:18.019Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Food-based dietary guidelines: some assumptions tested for the Netherlands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

M. R. H. Löwik ,
K. F. A. M. Hulshof  and
J. H. Brussaard
M. R. H. Löwik*
Affiliation:
Department of Consumer Research and Epidemiology, TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute, PO Box 360, 3700 AJ, Zeist, The Netherlands
K. F. A. M. Hulshof
Affiliation:
Department of Consumer Research and Epidemiology, TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute, PO Box 360, 3700 AJ, Zeist, The Netherlands
J. H. Brussaard
Affiliation:
Department of Consumer Research and Epidemiology, TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute, PO Box 360, 3700 AJ, Zeist, The Netherlands
*
*Corresponding author: Dr M. R. H. Löwik, fax +31 30 695 7952, email Lowik@voeding.tno.nl
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Recently, the concept of food-based dietary guidelines has been introduced by WHO and FAO. For this concept, several assumptions were necessary. The validity and potential consequences of some of these assumptions are discussed in this paper on the basis of the Dutch National Food Consumption Surveys. The topics were interrelationships among dietary characteristics, nutrient density, diets in accordance with the guidelines, and food variety.

To obtain insight into overall diet quality, a dietary quality index based on nutrients and a food-based quality index based on food groups were created and tested. As expected the results showed that a higher dietary quality index was associated with an improved intake of the nutrients included in the index, in particular a lower intake of total fat and cholesterol. This was related to a lower consumption of cheese, fats and oils, meat and meat products, and a higher consumption of fruit and vegetables. The information obtained with a dietary quality index can be used to assess the feasibility of a particular goal in combination with other relevant goals and to obtain clues or confirmation for recommendations regarding food consumption.

The food-based quality index created showed that a combination of several food-based goals (formulated in quantitative terms) was associated with an increase in food consumption, without a clear relevance for the dietary quality. Therefore, the formulation of food-based guidelines should be based on explicitly stated dietary goals. The findings regarding nutrient density were in the direction of what was assumed, namely a positive association between density and absolute intake, although the expected effects were not completely found. The results regarding the association between variety and dietary intake were characterized mainly by differences in quantity rather than dietary quality.

The data indicate that energy intake may be an important pitfall in implementing food-based dietary guidelines, that ‘eat a variety of food’ can be an empty slogan and that nutrient density is positively related to the absolute intake of specific micronutrients. Further, the ‘absence’ of interrelationships among risk nutrients indicates that a selection process has to be applied.

Keywords

Food-based dietary guidelinesThe Netherlands
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 81 , Issue S1 , June 1999 , pp. S143 - S149
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1999

References

Block, G, Dresser, AM, Hartman, AM & Carroll, MD (1985) Nutrient sources in the American diet: quantitative data from the NHANES II survey. I. Vitamins and minerals. American Journal of Epidemiology 122, 13–26.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brussaard, JH, Brants, HAM & Löwik, MRH (1997) Nutritional status among adults with special to micronutrients (Dutch Nutrition Surveillance System). European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 51 (Suppl. 3), S1–S66.Google Scholar
Cook, DA & Welsh, SO (1987) The effect of enriched and fortified grain products on nutrient intake. Cereal Food World 32, 191–196.Google Scholar
Hegsted, DM (1986) Dietary standards – Guidelines for prevention of deficiency or prescription for total health?. Journal of Nutrition 116, 478–481.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hegsted, DM (1992) Defining a nutritious diet: need for new dietary standards. Journal of the American College of Nutrition 211, 241–245.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hulshof KFAM van Staveren WA (1991) The Dutch National Food Consumption Survey: design, methods and first results. Food Policy 16, 257–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hulshof, KFAM, Löwik, MRH, Kistemaker, C, ten Hoor, F & Hermus, RJJ (1993) Is food variety conducive to a more adequate diet? In Assessment of variety, clustering and adequacy of eating patterns (Dutch National Food Consumption Survey). PhD thesis, University of Limburg (Maastricht), Netherlands.Google Scholar
Löwik, MRH (1993) The role of information in food and nutrition policy making processes: a system analysis. In Food and Nutrition Policy in Europe pp 91–99. [van Heij der, DG, Löwik, MRH and Ockhuizen, Th, editors] Wageningen: Pudoc.Google Scholar
Löwik, MRH & Hermus, RJJ (1988) The Dutch nutrition surveillance system. Food Policy 13, 359–365.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Löwik, MRH, Brussaard, JH, Hulshof, KFAM, Kistemaker, C, Schaafsma, G, Ockhuizen, T & Hermus, RJJ (1994) Adequacy of the diet in the Netherlands in 1987–1988 (Dutch Nutrition Surveillance System). International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition 45, (Suppl. 1), S1–S62.Google Scholar
Löwik, MRH, Hulshof, KFAM, Brussaard, JH & Brants, HAM (1996) Nutrition assessment and dietary guidelines: experience from the Dutch Nutrition Surveillance System. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 55, 705–723.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Löwik, MRH, Hulshof, KFAM, Riedstra, M, Brants, HAM, van Wechem, SN (1997) High fat intake: policy implication for the Netherlands. In Implementing dietary guidelines for healthy eating pp 302–315 [Wheelock, V, editor] London: Chapman & HallGoogle Scholar
Löwik, MRH, Hulshof, KFAM, van der Heijden, LJM, Brussaard, JH, Burema, J, Kistemaker, C, de Vries, PJF (1998) Changes in the diet in the Netherlands: 1987–1988 to 1992 (Dutch Nutrition Surveillance System). International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition 49 (Suppl. 1), S1–S64.Google Scholar
Southgate, DAT (1992) Dietary advice: foods or nutrients. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 51, 47–53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stowers, SL (1992) Development of a culturally appropriate food guide for pregnant Caribbean immigrants in the United States. Journal of the American Dietary Association 92, 331–336.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van der Beek, EK, Löwik, MRH, Hulshof, KFAM & Kistemaker, C (1994) Combinations of low thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and vitamin C intake among Dutch adults (Dutch Nutrition Surveillance System). Journal of the American College of Nutrition 13, 383–391.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Welsh, SO & Marston, RM (1982) Zinc levels of the US food supply: 1909–1980. Food Technology 36, 70–76.Google Scholar
WHO (1996) Preparation and use of food-based dietary guidelines. Nutrition Programme,Geneva:WHO.Google Scholar
Windham, CT, Wyse, BW, Hurst, RL & Hansen, RG (1981) Consistency of nutrient consumption patterns in the United States. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 78, 587–595.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed