INTRODuCTION
3The Guidelines are based on whole foods
Foods exert certain health effects because of the nutrients they contain. As such, dietary recommendations are
often couched in terms of individual nutrients (such as requirements of vitamins and minerals). However, people
eat whole foods rather than single nutrients, so such advice can be difficult to put into practice. For this reason,
these Guidelines make recommendations based only on whole foods, such as vegetables and meats, rather
than recommendations related to specific food components and individual nutrients.
This practical approach makes the recommendations easier to apply. Dietary patterns consistent with the
Guidelines will allow the general population to meet nutrient requirements, although some subpopulations
may have some increased nutrient requirements that are more difficult to meet through diet alone and
supplementation may be required. This is noted in the ‘Practical considerations’ sections.
Regulation of the food supply, such as fortification, use of food additives or special dietary products, is dealt
with by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) (see http://www.foodstandards.gov.au)..)
Target audience for the Guidelines
The target audience for the Guidelines comprises health professionals (including dietitians, nutritionists, general
practitioners (GPs), nurses and lactation consultants), educators, government policy makers, the food industry
and other interested parties.
Companion documents
The Guidelines form part of a suite of resources on nutrition and dietary guidance. Other documents in the
suite include the following:
• Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand (NRV Document) – This details quantitative nutrient
reference values (NRVs) for different ages and genders. The NRVs detail the recommended amounts of
macronutrients and micronutrients required to avoid deficiency, toxicity and chronic disease. As an
example, the NRV Document would be the reference for finding out how much iron is needed by women
aged between 19 and 30 years.
• A modelling system to inform the revision of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (Food Modelling
System) – This describes a range of computer-generated diets that translate the NRVs into dietary patterns
to describe some types, combinations and amounts of foods that can deliver nutrient requirements for
each age and gender group of different height and activity levels in the Australian population. A range of
models including omnivore, lacto-ovo vegetarian, pasta and rice-based dietary patterns were developed,
and primarily omnivorous dietary patterns were used to inform the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and
companion resources.
• A review of the evidence to address targeted questions to inform the revision of the Australian Dietary
Guidelines (Evidence Report) – This is a systematic approach to literature review relevant to targeted
questions published in the peer-reviewed nutrition literature from 2002–2009. As an example, the Evidence
Report would be the reference for looking at the evidence for a particular evidence statement included in
these Guidelines.
• Infant Feeding Guidelines – This document aims to support optimum infant nutrition by providing health workers
with a review of the evidence, and clear evidence-based recommendations on infant feeding.
It is relevant to healthy, term infants of normal birth weight (>2,500g).
• Australian Guide to Healthy Eating – This is the food selection tool (see page 10) which reflects dietary
patterns divided into portions from the five food groups – fruit, vegetables, grains, milk, yoghurt and
cheese products and lean meats (or alternatives), representing the proportion of these food groups
required each day.
• Companion resources – These include an interactive website, summary booklets, brochures and posters
for health professionals and consumers.
All of these documents are available on the internet at http://www.eatforhealth.gov.au.