Shine OnBrazil’s new food guide takes practical approach to fighting obesity
Brazil has a plan to tackle rising obesity rates — and its winning over nutrition critics everywhere.
Instead of offering a food pyramid or caloric guidelines, a new proposed food guide encourages Brazilians to learn to cook, to avoid multitasking at mealtimes, to avoid ready-to-eat processed foods, and to be critical of food-industry advertising.
The guide's three "golden rules":
Make foods and freshly prepared dishes and meals the basis of your diet.
Be sure oils, fats, sugar and salt are used in moderation in culinary preparations.
Limit the intake of ready-to-consume products and avoid those that are ultra-processed.
"We need to protect and preserve the Brazilian tradition of enjoyment of meals as a central part of family, social and workplace life. The planning of meals, exchange of recipes with friends, and involvement of the whole family in preparing food to enjoy together, are all part of a healthy life," says Patricia Jaime, Brazil's Ministry of Health coordinator of Food and Nutrition.
"Of course it is true that making meals at home takes time. But this is time we can share with our loved ones, including children. Freshly prepared meals are still cheaper than ready-to-consume snack and drink products. Also, protecting personal and family good health and well-being will save time and money spent on health care."
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The guide, which will be in public consultation until May, already has fans north of the equator.
"The guidelines are remarkable in that they are based on foods that Brazilians of all social classes eat every day, and consider the social, cultural, economic and environmental implications of food choices," writes Food Politics author Marion Nestle.
"Now if only our Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee would take note and do the same. Would you like us to have sensible, unambiguous food-based guidelines like these?" she adds.
The 10 key points in the 87-page document are as follows:
Prepare meals using fresh and staple foods.
Use oils, fats, sugar and salt in moderation.
Limit consumption of ready-to-eat food and drink products.
Eat at regular mealtimes and pay attention to your food instead of multitasking. Find a comfortable place to eat. Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets and noisy, stressful environments.
Eat with others whenever possible.
Buy food in shops and markets that offer a variety of fresh foods. Avoid those that sell mainly ready-to-eat products.
Develop, practise, share and enjoy your skills in food preparation and cooking.
Decide as a family to share cooking responsibilities and dedicate enough time for healthy meals.
When you eat out, choose restaurants that serve freshly made dishes. Avoid fast-food chains.
Be critical of food-industry advertising.
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It's a simple, direct "food-based" approach — and some believe it might just work.
"Brazil's new food-based dietary guidelines takes a radical new approach. Eat real food. At meals," tweeted noted food critic Michael Pollan.
Pollan has long been an advocate for conscientious eating. In a recent Shine On post, we shared one of his simplest lessons:
"Eat anything you want, just cook it yourself."
Jean-Claude Moubarac, a Montreal-based postdoctoral scholar of public health and nutrition, calls the warning to be wary of food-industry advertising a "world's first."
Neither American nor Canadian food guides address the role the food industry plays in affecting our dietary habits.
"It's a huge thing that a ministry of health is saying, 'be critical of commercial advertising,'" Moubarac tells the Globe and Mail.
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In fact, because Canada's Food Guide is based on recommended daily intakes of specific nutrients categorized by food groups, the food industry often markets products like sugary cereals and salty soups as "part of a healthy diet" by listing mineral and protein content on the box.
"This focus on nutrients has steered people towards nonsensical patterns," says Canadian bariatric expert Yoni Freedhoff, who believes Canada should borrow Brazil's approach, even in just encouraging people to learn to cook from scratch.
"Food-based means recommendations to eat more or less of foods — more fruits and vegetables, less of soft drinks — as opposed to eat less saturated fat, sugar, and sodium, which are nutrients used euphemistically for their food sources," Nestle tells MedPage Today.
"You are supposed to eat less of those," she says. "All of this, of course, is about food politics. Food companies get very upset if a federal agency suggests eating less of their products."
David Katz, MD, MPH, director of Yale's Prevention Research Center, agrees.
"This is clearly a standard worth emulating here in the U.S.," Katz tells MedPage Today. "There is very explicit acknowledgement that some foods should be avoided. There is consideration of the social context of eating. And most importantly, there is an emphasis on foods and types of foods rather than nutrients."
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Health Canada outlines the changes made to Canada's Food Guide since it was first introduced in 1942 and acknowledged wartime food rationing.
By 1949, the New Dietary Standard for Canada included "a plea to avoid excess intakes" and offered greater food variety. "Fortified margarine," for example, was added next to butter.
By 1961, "use liver frequently" was (thankfully) reduced to "eat liver occasionally." Meat alternatives were offered. Food choices broadened. And for the first time, the 'Milk' food group specified intakes for expectant and nursing mothers. That year, Canada's Food Guide replaced "Canada's Food Rules."
1977's Food Guide went metric — and graphic. Colourful pictures of food grouped in a wheel-like fashion caught Canadians' attention. The Milk group grew to include Milk and Milk Products. Fruits and Vegetables, previously two separate groups, were combined.
A revision to the guide in 1982 introduced the idea of "moderation," and encouraged Canadians to limit their fat, sugar, salt and alcohol intake as an attempt to prevent diet-related chronic diseases.
And in 1992, the guide took a total-diet approach and was renamed Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Living. It recognized that energy needs vary, and so the numbers of servings for each food group should also vary for different ages, body sizes, genders, activity levels and conditions (like pregnancy and nursing).
The 2007 version offered targeted food advice to groups such as children and older adults, clearly outlined portion sizes, and recommended moderate to vigorous exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle, but "was also criticized for its potential to promote weight gain by suggesting too much food," the Globe and Mail reports.
"A person following the food guide will likely gain weight," Freedhoff told CTV.ca when the new guide was introduced.
Freedhoff recently debated this at the University of Ottawa.
What do you think? Would Canada would benefit from a food guide like Brazil's proposed one?
