Health council updates nutritional guidelines

Belgium’s Superior Health Council (CSS) has published new guidelines with advice on a healthy diet. It’s the first update on nutritional guidelines in seven years.

The new recommendations pay more attention to lifestyle, with the previous three categories relating to level of activity (light, average and heavy) making way for six categories: inactive, sedentary, moderately active, active, very active and distinctly active. The purpose is to battle obesity and diabetes, as people who are inactive need less calories than those who are very active.

The guidelines again advise people to be careful with fatty foods but add nuances about different kinds of fats. The trans-fatty acids in heavily processed foods should be avoided as much as possible, while other fatty acids such as omega-6 and omega-3 are perfectly fine.

The guidelines about saturated fats, such as in butter and red meat, remain the same: Consumption should be limited to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Belgians also eat too much added sugars, the CSS said, pointing out that consumption of healthier alternative to white sugar, such as honey and coconut sugar, should still be strictly limited.

Complex carbohydrates, however, and fibres remain an important source of energy. Good sources of carbohydrates include potatoes, vegetables, fruit, legumes and wholegrain products like wheat bread, brown rice and pasta.

Concerning salt, the CSS recommends no more than five grams a day, which is half of the current average consumption. Excessive salt consumption is the number one cause of high blood pressure, CSS said.