2024-03-06 14:32:57
Less meat, more vegetables, fruit and legumes: This is what the German Nutrition Society recommends in its new guidelines.
For a healthy and sustainable diet, the German Nutrition Society (DGE) is placing greater emphasis on plant-based foods in its new food-related recommendations and in the DGE nutrition circle. “We recommend eating colorful and healthy foods while protecting the environment. We recommend a plant-based diet,” said Anne Carolin Schäfer, nutritionist in the DGE Science Department, on Tuesday in Kassel.
Healthy nutrition and the environment must be thought of together, emphasized DGE President Bernhard Watzl. In addition to recommending a healthy diet, the DGE’s new guidelines also took into account aspects such as sustainability, environmental impact and the usual consumption habits in Germany.
A health-promoting and ecologically sustainable diet consists of more than three quarters of plant-based foods and almost a quarter of animal foods. The proportion of animal foods is therefore lower than before. For example, the revised guidelines consider two servings of milk and dairy products daily, one serving less than the previous recommendations. According to the DGE, it is also sufficient to eat a maximum of 300 grams of meat and sausage and one egg per week, for example for breakfast. When it comes to fish, keep it to one or two portions per week.
The recommendation remains: five portions of fruit and vegetables a day
Legumes such as peas, beans, lentils and nuts are given greater emphasis with their own recommendation. Fruit and vegetables continue to be the most important group in terms of quantity. The recommendation to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day remains. However, the additional individual portion information of three portions of vegetables and two portions of fruit is omitted.
According to the DGE, the new guidelines are based on a newly developed mathematical optimization model that the company developed with the support of experts from various disciplines. They apply to healthy adults in Germany aged 18 to 65 who eat both plant and animal foods. According to the DGE, the recommendations are always aimed at the healthy general population, i.e. people without special needs or dietary requirements.