The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) yesterday issued a revision to the Dietary Guideline of Taiwan, including a suggestion that eggs are a healthier source of protein than meat.
Three changes were made to the guideline: the title “whole grains and ground provisions” was changed to “whole grains and miscellaneous grain crops”; a food group name was changed from “beans, fish, meat and eggs” to “beans, fish, eggs and meat” to reflect that eggs are a healthier protein source than meat; and the recommendation of “low-fat dairy foods” was changed to “dairy foods.”
HPA Community Health Division head Lin Li-ju (林莉茹) said using the phrase “miscellaneous grain crops” instead of “ground provisions” would allow the public to understand that other types of crops, such as red beans, green beans, lima beans, chestnuts and water chestnuts are also included in this food group.
Photo: Lin Yen-tung, Taipei Times
Studies suggest that egg consumption does not directly increase blood cholesterol or risk of cardiovascular disease as previously thought, HPA Director-General Wang Ying-wei (王英偉) said.
Eggs are rich in nutrients, are a good source of protein and easy for elderly people to chew, so the recommendation priority has been changed, Wang said.
Studies suggest that consuming whole milk or whole-fat dairy products do not increase the risk of obesity or cardiovascular disease more than consuming low-fat milk or dairy products, so consuming either are both recommended, as they are both main sources of calcium, Nutrition Society of Taiwan chairperson Wang Guoo-Shyng (王果行) said.
Meanwhile, the HPA’s Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan found that 99.8 percent of respondents’ daily intake of milk or dairy foods fell short of the recommended 1.5 cups per day, while 91 percent did not consume sufficient nuts and seed products, falling short of the recommended one serving per day.
The poll found that 86 percent of respondents’ daily food intake fell short of the recommended three servings of vegetables per day and two servings of fruit per day.
However, 53 percent of respondents had excessive daily intake of beans, fish, meat, eggs and non-dairy protein sources, exceeding the recommended six servings per day.
Forty-nine percent consumed too much grains, in excess of the recommended three bowls per day, and 39 percent consumed excessive amount of oil and fat, surpassing the recommended five teaspoons per day.
The survey suggests that most Taiwanese do not maintain a daily balanced diet that contains the proper amounts of the six main food groups, the HPA said.
The survey was conducted on people aged from 19 to 64 between 2013 and 2016.
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