by Marion Nestle
Jan 10 2023

Chile’s new dietary guidelines

Twitter still has its uses.  It’s how I found out about about Chile’s new dietary guidelines.

Even without speaking Spanish, you can see what they do that the US Dietary Guidelines do not.  They emphasize:

  • Sustainability (the forbidden word in the 2020-2025 US Guideines)
  • Fresh, minimally processed foods–“Avoid products ultra-processed and labeled as “high in” (“ultra-processed is not mentioned in the US Guidelines)
  • Home cooking
  • Respect for traditional cultural values
  • Farmers’ markets
  • Recycling

One odd message: “Consume làcteos en todas las etapas de la vida,” which I translate as “Consume dairy foods through all stages of life.”

I’m wondering how that got in there and guessing that Chile must have a powerful dairy industry.

But I hope the new, soon to be appointed, I’m told, 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee will pay attention to Chile’s version.  It has much to teach us.

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