WHAT FITNESS
PROFESSIONALS
NEED TO KNOW
ABOUT THE
DIETARY GUIDELINES
patterns that aim to promote health and
wellbeing and reduce the risk of diet-related
conditions and chronic diseases in our
population.
Why do we need dietary
guidelines?
Clients and participants want
to discuss nutrition with you,
so by equipping yourself with
the know-how to answer their
questions, you can help them
without going beyond your
scope of practice, writes
Dr Kate Marsh.
hey may not be as exciting as the
latest nutrition fad, but the
Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADGs)
provide
evidence-based
nutrition
recommendations that fitness professionals
can use when advising clients about food
and nutrition.
T
What are the ADGs?
The Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADGs)
provide information about the types and
amounts of foods, food groups and dietary
Good nutrition is essential for optimal
health. Yet, the majority of Australians are
not consuming a nutritious diet. In fact,
our most recent national health survey found
that most Australians were not eating the
recommended minimum daily serves for
any of the Five Food Groups, but are instead
consuming more than one third (35%) of their
energy from discretionary foods and drinks
(those which are energy dense and contain
low levels of essential nutrients). These
eating patterns are a major contributor to
our increasing rates of obesity and diet-
related chronic disease.
How were the ADGs developed?
The current Australian Dietary Guidelines
were released in February 2013. Funded
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