Educational tools for better eating: Origin and evolution of dietary guidelines in Catalonia

Authors

  • Maria Manera Public Health Agency of Catalonia (Spain).
  • Gemma Salvador Public Health Agency of Catalonia (Spain).

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.11.16274

Keywords:

dietary guidelines, food pyramid, healthy plate, community nutrition, public health

Abstract

Dietary guidelines are educational tools based on scientific evidence and on the characteristics of the target population. They must make it easier for people to make better food choices and therefore improve their health, as well as take better care of their environment. The first guidelines used different graphic ideas, until the so-called food triangle or pyramid model, first popularised in the 1990s, became the representation of reference for decades. More recently, the «healthy plate» has come to complement or replace the pyramid in many contexts, although other organisations, such as the Public Health Agency of Catalonia, have chosen to change the approach and design different and innovative guidelines.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Maria Manera, Public Health Agency of Catalonia (Spain).

Dietitian and nutritionist collaborating with the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (Department of Health, Catalan Regional Government, Spain) within the Integral plan for health promotion through physical activity and healthy eating (PAAS).

Gemma Salvador, Public Health Agency of Catalonia (Spain).

Dietitian and nutritionist, head and coordinator of the PAAS food advisory board of the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (Department of Health, Catalan Regional Government, Spain).

References

Agencia Española de Seguridad Alimentaria y Nutrición. (2005). Pirámide NAOS. Retrieved November 19, 2019, from https://www.aecosan.msssi.gob.es/AECOSAN/web/nutricion/subseccion/piramide_NAOS.htm

Aranceta-Bartrina, J., Partearroyo, T., López-Sobaler, A. M., Ortega, R. M., Varela-Moreiras, G., Serra-Majem, L., Pérez-Rodrigo, C., & The collaborative group for the dietary guidelines for the Spanish population (SENC). (2019). Updating the food-based dietary guidelines for the Spanish population: The Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) Proposal. Nutrients, 11(11), 2675. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11112675

Bechthold, A., Boeing, H., Tetens, I., Schwingshackl, L., & Nöthlings, U. (2018). Perspective: Food-based dietary guidelines in Europe-scientific concepts, current status, and perspectives. Advances in Nutrition, 9(5), 544–560. http://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmy033

Corrao, G., Bagnardi, V., Zambon, A., & La Vecchia, C. (2004). A meta-analysis of alcohol consumption and the risk of 15 diseases. Preventive Medicine, 38(5), 613–639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2003.11.027

EFSA. (2010). EFSA panel on dietetic products, nutrition, and allergies scientific opinion on establishing food-Based dietary guidelines. EFSA Journal, 8(3), 1460. https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/1460

FAO. (2020a). Guías alimentarias y sostenibilidad. Retrieved February 12, 2020, from http://www.fao.org/nutrition/educacion-nutricional/food-dietary-guidelines/background/sustainable-dietary-guidelines/es/

FAO. (2020b). Guías alimentarias basadas en alimentos. Retrieved February 12, 2020, from http://www.fao.org/nutrition/educacion-nutricional/food-dietary-guidelines/home/es/

FAO / WHO. (1998). Preparation and use of food-based dietary guidelines: report of a joint FAO/WHO consultationhttps://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/nutrientrequirements/WHO_TRS_880/en/

Galán, I., Aragonés, N., & Villalbí, J. R. (2017). La recomendación del consumo de alcohol en las «Guías alimentarias para la población española». Un mensaje demasiado ambiguo. Nutrición Hospitalaria, 34(4), 1004–1005.

Generalitat de Catalunya. (2010–2014). Results of the Catalan health survey (ESCA). 2010, 2011, and 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2019, from https://salutweb.gencat.cat/ca/el_departament/estadistiques_sanitaries/enquestes/esca/resultats_enquesta_salut_catalunya/index.html#googtrans(ca|en)

González, C., & Garnett, T. (2018). Platos, pirámides y planeta. Novedades en el desarrollo de guías alimentarias nacionales para una alimentación saludable y sostenible: evaluación del estado de la situación. FAO. http://www.fao.org/3/i5640es/I5640ES.pdf

Herforth, A., Arimond, M., Álvarez-Sánchez, C., Coates, J., Christianson, K., & Muehlhoff, E. (2019). A global review of food-based dietary guidelines. Advances in Nutrition, 10(4), 590–605. https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmy130

Manera, M., & Cervera, P. (2019). Alimentación saludable. In J. Salas, A. Bonada, R. Trallero, M. E. Saló, & R. Burgos (Eds.). Nutrición y dietética clínica (pp. 23–32). Barcelona: Elsevier.

Mozzaffarian, D., & Forouhi, N. (2018). Dietary guidelines and health —is nutrition science up to the task? British Medical Journal, 360, k822. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k822

Rabassa, M. (2019). Guías de alimentación y nutrición: ¿qué sabemos sobre su calidad? Revista Española de Nutrición Humana y Dietética, 23(1), 5–7.

Rabassa, M., Garcia-Ribera Ruiz, S., Solà, I., Pardo-Hernandez, H., Alonso-Coello, P., & Martínez García, L. (2018). Nutrition guidelines vary widely in methodological quality: an overview of reviews. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 104, 62–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2018.08.018

National Agricultural Library. (2019). Wilbur Olin Atwater Papers. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://specialcollections.nal.usda.gov/guide-collections/wilbur-olin-atwater-papers

Welsh, S., Davis, C., & Shaw, A. (1992). A brief history of food guides in the United States. Nutrition Today, 6, 6–11.

WHO. (2004). Estrategia mundial sobre régimen alimentario, actividad física y salud. Retrieved November 20, 2019, from https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/strategy/eb11344/strategy_spanish_web.pdf

Zeraatkar, D., Johnston, B. C., & Guyatt, G. (2019). Evidence collection and evaluation for the development of dietary guidelines and public policy on nutrition. Annual Review of Nutrition, 39, 227–247. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-nutr-082018-124610

Downloads

Published

2021-01-21

How to Cite

Manera, M., & Salvador, G. (2021). Educational tools for better eating: Origin and evolution of dietary guidelines in Catalonia. Metode Science Studies Journal, (11), 131–137. https://doi.org/10.7203/metode.11.16274
Metrics
Views/Downloads
  • Abstract
    978
  • PDF
    403

Issue

Section

Good to eat. Food and health at a time of information overload

Metrics

Similar Articles

> >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.