DRAFT Australian Dietary Guidelines - Eat For Health

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 (for example, pregnant and breastfeeding women) may have some increased
nutrient requirements that are more difficult to meet through diet alone. This is noted for each
Guideline under ‘Practical considerations for health professionals’.
For information on specific micro- and macro-nutrients, refer to the Nutrient Reference Values for
Australia and New Zealand [9].
Issues related to food composition and food supply, such as fortification, use of food additives or
special dietary products are dealt with by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (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, nurses and lactation consultants), educators, government policy
makers, the food industry and other interested parties. A suite of resources for the general public,
including the revised Australian Guide to Healthy Eating has also been produced (see
www.eatforhealth.gov.au).
Companion documents
The Guidelines form part of a suite of documents on nutrition and dietary guidance (see Figure 1.1).
Other documents in this suite include:
Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand
This details quantitative nutrient reference values (NRVs) for Australians of difference ages and
gender. These reference values detail the recommended amounts of nutrients (vitamins, minerals,
protein, carbohydrate etc.) required to avoid deficiency, toxicity and chronic disease. As an
example, you would refer to the NRVs document to know how much iron is needed by women
aged between 19 and 30.
The Food Modelling Document
(A modelling system to inform the revision of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating)
This describes a range of computer-generated diets that translate the NRVs into dietary patterns
to describe the types, combinations and amounts of foods that deliver nutrient requirements for
each age and gender group of different physical activity level in the Australian population.
A range of models including omnivore, lacto-ovo vegetarian, pasta and rice-based dietary patterns
were developed, and dietary patterns were used to inform the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.
DRAFT Australian Dietary Guidelines- December 2011 10