Guidelines Dietary - Eat For Health

InfantsFSANZ sets maximum limits for the sodium content of commercially prepared infant foods such as rusks, biscuitsand other ready-to-eat foods, and prohibits the addition of salt to fruit-based foods, fruit drinks and vegetablejuices. 755 These restrictions are needed because infants have a lower renal capacity than older children and adults.Parents and carers who are introducing infants to solid foods should be advised to minimise the infant’s sodiumintake. This means preparing homemade infant foods without salt or ingredients that are high in salt or sodium,and minimising infants’ intake of other processed foods that are high in sodium.ChildrenFor children with average energy needs, the dietary patterns in the Food Modelling System 9 contain up to 50%less sodium than the average sodium intakes reported in the 2007 Australian National Children’s Nutrition andPhysical Activity Survey. 12Older peopleTaste perception decreases with age and can be a factor in decreased food intake and malnutrition. For a chronicallyill older person who has hypertension, clinicians need to weigh up the benefit of adding salt to food to improveflavour (with improved intake and quality of life, and reduced risk of malnutrition) against the risks of hypertensionand its management. For chronically ill older people who do not have hypertension, salt intake can be determinedby personal preference and maintaining food intake is a priority.Guideline 33.3 Limit intake of foods and drinks containing added sugars3.3.1 Setting the sceneSugars are carbohydrates – examples include fructose, glucose, lactose and sucrose. When sugars occur naturallyin foods such as fruit, vegetables and dairy products, they are referred to as intrinsic sugars. However, the majorsource of sugar in the Australian diet is sucrose from sugar cane that is added to foods and is termed extrinsicsugar. Sucrose is widely used in processed foods and drinks as a sweetener and also plays a role as a flavourenhancer and preservative.Sugars provide a readily absorbed source of energy, but added sugars can increase the energy content of the dietwhile diluting its nutrient density. Dietary modelling illustrates that nutrient density may also be compromised bya high intake of added sugars and the Total Diet does not allow for excess amounts of foods or drinks with addedsugars. 9 At any given level of energy intake, as the proportion of added sugars in the diet increases, the nutrientdensity will fall. 756 This was quantified in a recent analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey(NHANES) data (2003–2006) which noted that intake of essential nutrients was less with each 5% increase inadded sugars above 5–10% of energy. 757Sugars are a factor in dental caries and diets high in added sugars are also associated with some adverse healthoutcomes. Sugar-sweetened drinks (sugar-sweetened soft drinks and cordials, fruit drinks, vitamin waters, energyand sports drinks) are the largest source of sugars in the Australian diet, with consumption highest in adolescentsand children. 45 New evidence emphasises the relevance of sugar-sweetened drinks to the development of excessweight (see Chapter 1).Dental caries are a significant public health problem in Australia. In 2007–08, $6.1 billion was spent on total dentalservices in Australia, representing 6.2% of all health expenditure. 758 In severe cases, dental caries can cause lossof teeth and pain that may reduce dietary intake and compromise nutritional status.Fructose and/or high fructose corn syrups are commonly used as a sweetener in the US. It should be noted thatthese are not commonly used in the Australian food supply.76EAT FOR HEALTH – australian dietary guidelinesNational Health and Medical Research Council