A tsunami of chronic diseases will hit the Australian public health system if the population does not radically improve their diet, new research shows. Revised Australian Dietary Guidelines, issued for public comment today, suggest 35per cent of an adult's diet comes from foods and drinks which were high in saturated fat, sugar or salt. And children get more than 40per cent of their energy intake from low nutrient, high-energy foods.
Experts say Australians need to reduce the consumption of junk food and drinks by 80 to 100 per cent, but admitted it would be a big challenge. The updated dietary advice in the draft guidelines indicates Australians need to double their intake of fruit and vegetables, especially of different types and colours, and eat 40per cent less starchy vegetables like potatoes.
It was also recommended that the population consume about 30per cent less refined grains. Men need to eat 20per cent less red meat, but pregnant and young women need to eat more. And the health benefits of breastfeeding both for newborns and mothers have strengthened. Breastfeeding has been found to correlate to a decreased risk of weight gain later in life.
The National Health and Medical Research Council reviewed scientific evidence related to food, diet and health outcomes. Chair of the Dietary Guidelines Working Committee Amanda Lee agreed the results confirmed previous advice, but said it was now underpinned by stronger scientific evidence.
The new guidelines aimed to focus on food choices rather than nutrients. Dr Lee said most Australians needed to increase their intake of not only fruit and vegetables, but also wholegrain cereals and reduced-fat milk products.
''We are getting fatter everyday ... if we don't radically improve our diet we're going to see a tsunami of poor health consequences associated with poor diets,'' Dr Lee said. ''One third of the chronic diseases people die from are preventable by dietary improvements.
''It's a challenge to improve our diet when we're surrounded by a food supply that mostly sells and promotes foods high in saturated fat, sugar and salt. We need to make it easier for the population to adopt healthier diets.''