National Dietary Guidelines of Greece for children and adolescents: a tool for promoting healthy eating habits

Abstract

Objective:Dietary guidelines are an essential policy tool for facilitating optimal dietary patterns and healthy eating behaviours. We report: (i) the methodological approach adopted for developing the National Dietary Guidelines of Greece (NDGGr) for Infants, Children and Adolescents; and (ii) the guidelines for children aged 1–18 years.Design:An evidence-based approach was employed to develop food-based recommendations according to the methodologies of the WHO, FAO and European Food Safety Authority. Physical activity recommendations were also compiled. Food education, healthy eating tips and suggestions were also provided.Setting:The NDGGr encompass food-based nutritional and physical activity recommendations for promoting healthy dietary patterns and eating behaviours and secondarily to serve as a helpful tool for the prevention of childhood overweight and obesity.Results:The NDGGr include food-based recommendations, food education and health promotion messages regarding: (i) fruits; (ii) vegetables; (iii) milk and dairy products; (iv) cereals; (v) red and white meat; (vi) fish and seafood; (vii) eggs; (viii) legumes; (ix) added lipids, olives, and nuts; (x) added sugars and salt; (xi) water and beverages, and (xii) physical activity. A Nutrition Wheel, consisting of the ten most pivotal key messages, was developed to enhance the adoption of optimal dietary patterns and a healthy lifestyle. The NDGGr additionally provide recommendations regarding the optimal frequency and serving sizes of main meals, based on the traditional Greek diet.Conclusions:As a policy tool for promoting healthy eating, the NDGGr have been disseminated in public schools across Greece.

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“…Since 2018, Estonian and Lithuanian boys and Estonian and Latvian girls have exceeded the HBSC average for overweight or obese adolescents. At the same time, approximately 40% of children and adolescents in Greece are either overweight or obese, exhibiting high prevalence rates of obesity in Europe [28]. Considerable evidence suggests that physical activity is the strongest behavioural determinant of adiposity, also our findings somehow support the notion that lifestyle behaviours synergistically contribute to BMI status, and reinforce the need to study the relationships between these behaviours and weight status concurrently.…”

The Impact of an Educational Institution on Development of Healthy Lifestyle Skills for Prevention of Obesity in Adolescents

“…In municipal schools of Greece, a system of national dietary principles was implemented, with the aim of preventing obesity among schoolchildren. This system included raising awareness of foodstuffs (vegetables, fruits, cereals, meat, fish, eggs, dairy and other products) and outreach on healthy lifestyle [17].…”

Pola Asuh Autoritatif dan Kebiasaan Makan Anak Prasekolah

“…Kebiasaan mengkonsumsi makanan sehat dan bergizi sejak dini penting dilakukan karena dapat mengoptimalkan aspek perkembangan fisik dan kognitif anak sehingga berdampak pada kesehatan di usia berikutnya (Kastorini et al, 2019). Oleh sebab itu, baik ibu maupun ayah memiliki kontribusi penting pada kebiasaan makan anak prasekolah sehingga perlu memperhatikan dan menerapkan pola makan sehat dan bergizi secara berulang kali.…”