Food-Based Dietary Guidelines around the World: Eastern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Countries.

Concetta Montagnese, Lidia Santarpia, Fabio Iavarone, Francesca Strangio, Brigida Sangiovanni, Margherita Buonifacio, Anna Rita Caldara, Eufemia Silvestri, Franco Contaldo, Fabrizio Pasanisi

Journal: Nutrients 2020;11(6):1325

PMID: 31200446

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Abstract

In Eastern Mediterranean countries, undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies coexist with overnutrition-related diseases, such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Many Mediterranean countries have produced Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) to provide the general population with indications for healthy nutrition and lifestyles. This narrative review analyses Eastern Mediterranean countries' FBDGs and discusses their pictorial representations, food groupings and associated messages on healthy eating and behaviours. In 2012, both the WHO and the Arab Center for Nutrition developed specific dietary guidelines for Arab countries. In addition, seven countries, representing 29% of the Eastern Mediterranean Region population, designated their national FBDGs. At the moment several of these guidelines are available only in the English language. In summary, Eastern Mediterranean FBDGs mainly focus on food safety, not all are available in the local Arabic language, and they do not provide specific suggestions for the large number of foreign workers and migrants.

Address: Epidemiology Unit, IRCCS Istituto Nazionale Tumori "Fondazione G. Pascale", 80131 Napoli, Italy. [email protected].; Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy. [email protected].; Interuniversity Center for Obesity and Eating Disorders, Department of Clinical Nutrition and Internal Medicine, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy. [email protected].; Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy. [email protected].; Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy. [email protected].; Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy. [email protected].; Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy. [email protected].; Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy. [email protected].; Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy. [email protected].; Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy. [email protected].; Interuniversity Center for Obesity and Eating Disorders, Department of Clinical Nutrition and Internal Medicine, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy. [email protected].; Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy. [email protected].; Interuniversity Center for Obesity and Eating Disorders, Department of Clinical Nutrition and Internal Medicine, Federico II University, 80131 Naples, Italy. [email protected].

DOI: 10.3390/nu11061325

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MeSH Terms: Food, Humans, Mediterranean Region, Middle East, Nutrition Policy