Evaluating the DOH (Department of Health) food guide based on Taiwanese food choices

The food guide serves as an important nutrition education tool. Periodical evaluation and update are essential, since dietary patterns are constantly changing. We intended to examine the adequacy of Taiwanese Food Guide, using dietary intake and practice information extracted from the 24-hour recall data of the "Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan 1993-1996" (n=5834). In terms of the number of servings consumed for each of the six food groups; only that of cereals/grains was in the recommended range, but near the lower boundary. If Taiwanese eat according to the recommended numbers of servings, the estimated percentage of calories from fat (36%) was too high and the estimated intakes of calcium, magnesium and vitamin B6 were much lower than Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs). After reducing the number of servings from the fat group and excluding high-fat meat, the fat intake can be decreased to 25%. Adding one serving of nuts into the diet will improve the micronutrient intakes. Only three of the 72 dietary patterns extracted from cluster analysis were deemed adequate. In these diets, the numbers of servings for cereals and protein-rich foods were comparable to those recommended. The food groups consumed abundantly in these diets were milk and vegetables, milk and fruits, and vegetables, respectively. Future food guides should consider reducing the number of servings for the fat group, while emphasizing the importance of avoiding high-fat meat and of adding small amount of nuts. Different food guides could also be developed for people with special nutritional needs.