Dietary guidelines in the Czech Republic. I.: Theoretical background and development.
Setting dietary guidelines for the healthy population of the Czech Republic has respected the methodical steps suggested by authors as follows: consideration of dietary guidelines was preceded by the consensus on general goals and methods, e.g. health and well-being promotion at the population level. The guidelines cover a total diet, not only a part of it and have to be realistic, with respect to actual frequency of food in majority of population. The second step was the declaration of nutritional goals with respect to achieving the RDI. The third step was dividing the food into defined food groups according to the following criteria: the food contained in one food group had the same/similar nutritional characteristics with regard to achieving the adequate of decreased intake. Within the groups several sub-groups were set, associating foods with another specific nutrient content. The fourth step was the setting the serving sizes as an equivalent for each food group. These equivalents must reflect typical average consumed amount of food and always within the group the content of the main nutrient has to be same/similar. The fifth step was setting nutritional profile of each group and/or sub-group. This profile represented the content of energy, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. The sixth step was deciding the daily number of servings of each food group, which must allow the flexibility as much as possible--authors recommend the interval solution. The seventh step was decision about the form (textual and graphic), which presents the guidelines. The decision was preceded by the study focused on accepting suggested possibilities. The last, eighth step was working out the strategy of implementation in practise, which means the summarizing organizational, administrative and political arrangements with the aim to be positively accepted by the population who identify itself with the principles of the dietary guidelines. In the formulation of dietary guidelines in the Czech Republic, the authors accepted methods described above and each of the eight steps was supported by adequately focused population study.
Brázdová
Z
Z
Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Masaryk University of Brno, Czech Republic.
Fiala
J
J
Bauerová
J
J
Hrubá
D
D
D018153:Czech Republic; D004032:Diet / Q000592:standards; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D018673:Nutrition Policy