Seminar 18.8.2016: Food culture and food education strengthen the Nordic Brand | bit.ly/2bpg5gi | #norden2016

1. New dietary recommendations
for families with children
In the Seminar: Food culture and food education strenghthen
the Nordic Brand
Helsinki, TING Hall, Nordic Culture Point
18.8.2016
Arja Lyytikäinen
Secretary General
arja.lyytikainen@evira.fi
National Nutrition Council
c/o Finnish Food Safety Authority Evira

2. National Nutrition Council and National Institute for Health and Welfare, 2016:
New food recommendations for families with children
http://www.julkari.fi/handle/10024/130435http://www.julkari.fi/handle/10024/130021

3. Content of the new recommendation
1.Food as part of lifestyle
• Eating together
• Wellfare learning in childhood
• Multiculturalism
2. Health promoting eating habits for the whole family
• Regular meal pattern
• Health promoting eating habits
• Food choises from different food groups for the whole family
• Food safety: General advice for safe food choice
3. Nutrition before and during pregnancy
4. Nutrition of breastfeeding mother
5. Infant nutrition: From breastfeeding to family meals
• Breast feeding
• Infant formula and other beverages
• Starting solid foods
6. Nutrition of toddles and young school children
• Variations in appetite and picky eaters
• Weight management
• Nutrition in early childhood education and care and at school
7. Nutrition for adolescents
• Adolescents need adult support during their independence process
• Nutrition for children and adolescents engaged in sports
8. Vegan diet, special diets and special circumstances

4. The basis for children’s food learning
and adopting balanced, healthy diet
is built together in a family:
• Adjusting daily schedules and reserving
time for family meals eaten together
• Eating at regular intervals and
• Choosing varied, healthy foodstuffs

5. Main message in infant feeding:
From exclusive breast feeding via tiny taste portions to
complementary feeding individually at age of 4-6 months and
forward to tastings of family diet - early learning of family diet
and varied selection of foodstuffs is important
0 months 12 months of age

6. Regular eating - flexible mealtimes

7. A balanced meal that suits everybody can be
composed in many different ways - new plate
models
”Multicultural plate model”
Plate model for a child and for an adult.
Same food for all family members,
but individual portion size Plate model for a vegan meal

8. Recommendations for food choices
Increase Change Decrease
Vegetabels (including
mushrooms)
fruit and berries
Low fiber cereals 
high fiber cereals
Sugar
Oil,
Nuts,
almonds and
seeds
Butter and butter based
spreads  vegetable
margarines and oil
High fat milk products 
fat free and low fat ones
Animal fat,
coconut and palm oil
Fish,
Beans, peas and lentils
Red meat partly  poultry
Animal protein partly 
plant protein
Red meat, deli meats and
sausages
High salt products 
low salty ones:
bread, cheese, deli meat
products
Noniodized salt  iodized
salt
Salt

9. The important messages for
parents and caregivers in the
recommendation:
They prefer foods
they are familiar with
Foods that are served often will
be the familiar ones
Taste preferences are
adopted and learned early:
Children are eating
what they like

11. In conclusion: Health-promoting
eating habits for the whole family