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Questions and answers on the Eating and Activity
Guidelines for New Zealand Adults
More information about the Eating and Activity Guidelines can be found in the following
factsheets that are located on www.health.govt.nz/publication/eating-and-activity-guidelinesnew-zealand-adults: Summary of Guidelines Statements and key related information; Topical
Questions and Answers; What’s changed.
Context
1.
Who is the Guidelines document for? Will anything be developed for the public?
The Eating and Activity Guidelines for New Zealand Adults is a document written for health
practitioners and others who provide advice on nutrition and physical activity for New Zealand
adults. The key messages from the Guidelines will be available for the public via the
accompanying health education resources: Healthy Eating Active Living – food and physical
activity advice for adults from 19–64 years; and Eat Healthy Food and Move More Everyday.
These resources can be found on the Ministry of Health website (www.health.govt.nz) and the
health education resources website (www.healthed.govt.nz).
2.
Why has the Guidelines document been produced?
The Guidelines document replaces the existing Food and Nutrition Guidelines for Healthy Adults
(MOH 2003) and the Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults (SPARC & MOH 2007). The new
Guidelines provide up-to-date, evidence based recommendations on nutrition and physical
activity for New Zealand adults aged 19-64 years.
Evidence shows that diet, excess weight and physical inactivity are three major modifiable risk
factors that contribute to early death, illness and disability in New Zealanders. By making
positive changes to eating and activity patterns New Zealanders can not only improve their
wellbeing but can also live longer, healthier lives.
3.
What are the key eating and activity messages for New Zealand adults?
The Eating and Activity Guidelines document provides eleven eating and activity related
statements (the Guidelines Statements). These Statements are the evidence-based, population
health key messages on nutrition and physical activity. They are designed to help New
Zealanders meet nutrient needs; maintain a healthy body weight; be physically active; and
decrease the risk of non-communicable diseases like cardiovascular disease and cancer. (See
over page for Guidelines Statements.)
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The Guidelines Statements are as follows:
Making good choices about what and how much you eat and drink, and being physically
active are important for good health.
Eating Statements
Activity Statements
1. Enjoy a variety of nutritious foods every
day including:
o plenty of vegetables and fruit
o grain foods, mostly whole grain and
those naturally high in fibre
o some milk and milk products, mostly
low and reduced fat
o some legumes*, nuts, seeds, fish and
other seafood, eggs, poultry (eg,
chicken) and/or red meat with the fat
removed.
1. Sit less, move more! Break up long periods
of sitting.
* Legumes include lentils, split peas,
chickpeas and cooked dried beans (eg,
kidney beans, baked beans)
2. Choose and/or prepare foods and drinks:
o with unsaturated fats (canola, olive,
rice bran or vegetable oil, or
margarine) instead of saturated fats
(butter, cream, lard, dripping, coconut
oil)
o that are low in salt (sodium); if using
salt, choose iodised salt
o with little or no added sugar
o that are mostly ‘whole’ and less
processed.
3. Make plain water your first choice over
other drinks.
4. If you drink alcohol, keep your intake low.
Stop drinking alcohol if you could be
pregnant, are pregnant or are trying to get
pregnant.
5. Buy or gather, prepare, cook and store
food in ways that keep it safe to eat.
2. Do at least 2½ hours of moderate or 1¼
hours of vigorous physical activity spread
throughout the week.
3. For extra health benefits, aim for 5 hours
of moderate or 2½ hours of vigorous physical
activity spread throughout the week.
4. Do muscle strengthening activities on at
least two days each week.
5. Doing some physical activity is better than
doing none.
Body Weight Statement
Making good choices about what you eat and drink and being physically active are also
important to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. Being a healthy weight:
 helps you to stay active and well
 reduces your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
If you are struggling to maintain a healthy weight, see your doctor, a dietitian or your
community health care provider.
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Content
1.
What has changed?
For the first time the Guidelines document brings food and nutrition, and physical activity
related guidance together in one place. The Eating Statements place more emphasis on having
‘whole’ and less processed foods, replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats rather than
decreasing total fat, and including more plant (such as legumes, nuts and seeds) and seafood
based protein foods in the diet. The Activity Statements now include specific advice on reducing
sitting time and the extra benefits of increasing activity levels. For more specific information on
‘What’s changed?’ go to www.health.govt.nz/publication/eating-and-activity-guidelines-newzealand-adults
2.
Why does the Guidelines Statements/document now cover activity/exercise as well as
food/nutrition?
Health practitioners and others with an interest in nutrition and physical activity suggested that
as both subjects form the basis of a healthy lifestyle, putting population advice into the same
document made sense. Both nutrition and physical activity are important for maintaining or
achieving a healthy body weight.
3.
The Guidelines Statements now recommend people choose mostly ‘whole’ and less processed
foods. What is meant by ‘whole’ and less processed foods?
‘Whole’ foods are those close to their natural state, but that may have been harvested, washed
or cleaned ready for consumption or cooking. Examples of whole foods are fresh vegetables
and fruit, raw legumes, raw nuts and seeds, eggs, fish, chicken and red meat (with visible fat
removed).
Less processed foods are those that have undergone some processing, but have kept most or
many of their physical and nutritional properties. This definition includes foods that have been
processed with the aim of making the food:
 safer – for example, pasteurised milk products
 healthier – for example, low-fat milk, which contains less energy (kilojoules) and less
saturated fat than full-fat milk
 more convenient to use – for example:
o whole grains that have had their inedible outer husks removed but still have all of
their edible parts
o wholemeal flour ground from whole grains
o frozen, packaged vegetables and fruit that may have been frozen quickly to keep their
nutrient content
o canned legumes, vegetables and fruit with no or minimal added sugar and/or salt,
which have been prepared and cooked ready for use.
In comparison, highly processed foods, or the ingredients used to make them, have been
heavily processed so they are usually very different from their natural states. Highly processed,
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ready-to-eat foods tend to be low in naturally occurring nutrients such as vitamins, minerals,
fibre and other phytonutrients. They are often high in refined grains, energy (kilojoules), added
saturated fat, sugar and/or salt (sodium).
3.
Why is choosing mostly ‘whole’ and less processed foods recommended?
Evidence shows dietary patterns that include vegetables and fruit, whole grains, legumes, nuts,
dairy (including low-fat options) and seafood, but that are low in processed meat, refined
grains, saturated fat, added sugar and salt are the healthiest. People who eat a lot of highly
processed food with refined ingredients and added fat, salt and sugar are more likely to exceed
their energy requirements and less likely to get the nutrients they need to remain healthy.
4.
What is the difference between prolonged sitting time (sedentary behaviour) and physical
inactivity?
Sitting for long periods of time and being physically inactive are both separate risk factors for
poor health. Physical inactivity is defined as doing less than 30 minutes of moderate physical
activity over the entire week. However, it is possible to meet the physical activity
recommendation of at least 2 ½ hours of physical activity per week, and still sit for long periods
of time in between.
5.
I’ve got no chance of meeting the 2 ½ hours recommendation let alone the 5 hour one … so
why bother trying to do anything?
The Ministry is aware that not everybody meets the Activity Statements. However, the evidence
suggests that even small, sustained gradual increases in the time, duration or intensity of
physical activity are good for health. Proportionally, a person who is less physically active to
start with makes greater health gains when they increase their physical activity than a person
who is already more physically active. Even if you cannot meet the recommended levels of
activity, doing some activity is better than none.
6.
Why do you need to reduce sitting time if you are already physically active?
Even when adults are doing 2 ½ hours of moderate activity or equivalent a week, sitting for
prolonged periods can affect your health.
Breaking up prolonged periods of sitting is important. Replacing sitting time with activities of
daily living (such as hanging the washing out, gardening, washing the car or vacuuming) can
have a positive effect on health. Those in sedentary jobs should try to stand and/or move for a
few minutes each hour.
7.
Can all the Guidelines Statements be met through one type of activity?
Technically the Activity Statements could be met by doing one activity such as swimming or
uphill running. However, the Ministry recommends doing a variety of activities that involve both
the upper and lower limbs, improve aerobic fitness, agility and muscle strength.
8.
How do the revised guidelines compare with those used in other similar countries – eg,
Australia's new food pyramid and physical activity guidelines?
The Guidelines Statements are based on the evidence that has been used to develop eating
(dietary) and physical activity guidelines for a number of similar ‘developed’ countries. The
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Eating Statements are similar to guidelines from Australia, the United States of America (USA)
(2010 and information used to prepare the 2015 edition), and the Nordic countries. The
Activity Statements are similar to guidelines from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United
States of America. All Statements are also consistent with advice from the World Health
Organization and the World Cancer Research Fund.
Guidelines development
1. Why did the Food and Nutrition Guidelines Series change to the Eating and Activity Guidelines
Series (the Guidelines Series)?
The Guidelines Series were developed following an independent evaluation of the Food and
Nutrition Guidelines in 2011. The evaluation showed the Food and Nutrition Guidelines are
valued by many health practitioners, but some changes to their development process and
format would strengthen them and make them more accessible to a wider audience. The
Guidelines Series contain key features that were identified as important by a wide range of
health practitioners during the evaluation. This includes creating one document that has both
nutrition and physical activity population health advice; an external advisory group to work on
the guidelines; and a more robust evidence base to support the advice.
The Guidelines Series aim to meet information needs of the health and activity sectors in the
future.
2. Who was consulted in the development of these Guidelines document?
Following extensive feedback from the sector (as part of the 2011 evaluation), on what the
updated guidelines ideally would include, the Ministry undertook other key stakeholder
consultation on the Guidelines document during different stages of the development process.
Key stakeholders included:
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nutrition and physical activity academics
health practitioners including individuals, national organisations such as Dietitians NZ and
colleges such as Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners (RNZCGP)
Māori and Pacific public health nutrition and physical activity organisations such as Toi
Tangata and the Heart Foundation's Pacific Heartbeat
non-government organisations such as Cancer Society and Heart Foundation
physical activity and fitness organisations, such as the Exercise Association of New Zealand
food industry groups such as Food and Grocery Council, Grains and Legumes Nutrition
Council, New Zealand Beef and Lamb, Fonterra and Unilever New Zealand
government agencies and crown entities including ACC, Ministry for Primary Industries,
Sport NZ and the Health Promotion Agency
general public – specifically focus group testing of the Guidelines Statements included
adult New Zealanders of Māori, Pacific, South Asian and New Zealand European ethnicities.
3. Who was on the Technical Advisory Group (TAG)?
Throughout the update and review of the Eating and Activity Guidelines, the Ministry has been
guided by a Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of experts in nutrition and physical activity. The
TAG consists of:
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Professor Jim Mann (Chair) – Professor of Nutrition, University of Otago
Professor Murray Skeaff – Professor of Nutrition, University of Otago
Dr Ofa Dewes – Researcher in Pacific Health, University of Auckland
Dr Zirsha Wharemate – Former Lecturer, Massey University
Dr Clare Wall – Associate Professor Nutrition, University of Auckland
Dr Pamela von Hurst – Senior Lecturer in Human Nutrition, Massey University
Delvina Gorton – Former Nutrition Advisor, New Zealand Heart Foundation
Dr Scott Duncan – Senior Lecturer Physical Activity / Associate Director of the Human
Potential Centre, Auckland University of Technology
Dr Sandra Mandic – Senior Lecturer Physical Activity, University of Otago.
4. How has the process used for the Guidelines made them technically more robust than
previous Food and Nutrition Guidelines?
Previous Guideline documents have always considered a broad base of evidence via the
literature review part of their development process, including key international evidence
based documents and reports. However, the Ministry’s capacity for Guidelines development
will never be as well-resourced as significantly larger and more populous countries such as
Australia, the United States of America and the United Kingdom. The best option is for New
Zealand to identify and consider the already completed international evidence or systematic
reviews that underpin the dietary and physical activity guidelines of larger countries.
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Links to other Government initiatives
1. How does the Guidelines document contribute to and support the government’s work to
address childhood obesity?
Although focused on adults, the Guidelines provide fundamental advice on healthy eating
and regular physical activity that applies across the life-course. The Guidelines will support
the Ministry’s work on childhood obesity, when used as the basis of healthy lifestyle advice
for families and whānau.
2. How does the Guidelines document link to the government’s Health Star Rating system?
The Guidelines recommend people choose a wide variety of foods that are mostly whole or
less processed, and lower in saturated fat, sugar and sodium (salt). If choosing packaged
foods, the Health Star Rating system allows consumers to quickly and easily compare the
nutrition quality of similar foods, such as breakfast cereals. Foods lower in saturated fat,
sugar or sodium (salt) and/or higher in fibre, protein, nut, legumes, fruit or vegetable
content have more stars. The more stars the healthier the product.
Other
1. Aren’t all people different? How can individuals usefully apply advice developed for a
population?
These Guidelines Statements are population health advice that provides general information
on nutrition, physical activity and achieving a healthy weight. This advice applies to most
New Zealanders. However if more individualised advice is needed, such as when people
have particular health issues, this specialised advice should come from health, nutrition and
activity practitioners. These practitioners take into account the specific information and
circumstances relating to an individual and interpret the Guidelines Statements
appropriately.
2. Will this Guidelines document lead to the development of a new food model for New
Zealand?
Health promotion tools such as food models require up to date recommendations on what
food to eat and how much is needed. While the Guidelines document provides updated
advice on what to eat, further work to revise the quantitative aspects (the ‘how much’) is
needed. The Ministry has begun a review of its current dietary serving size advice and is
investigating how best to do quantitative food modelling. Both steps are required, as well as
consumer and sector testing to create new user-friendly advice on what and how much of it
to eat for New Zealanders. There is currently no time frame for the completion of this work.
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