Belgium Has a New Food Pyramid: Should the USDA Take Note?

Did you know? Belgium has updated their food pyramid this year in an astonishing new format. Read on to discover just how this European country may be turning things upside down for the world in terms of health guidelines.

On Sept. 19, Belgium unveiled its new food pyramid. It is quite different from the dinner plate format we have in the U.S. – the new Belgian food pyramid is upside down. The guidelines suggest for Belgians to:

Drink more water

Eat more fresh fruits, veggies, beans and whole grains

Eat less dairy and meat, specifically those high in fat

Eat much less fast food, red meat, candy, sugary drinks and alcohol

Belgian policymakers seem ready to defend their decision.

“We want to make it clear that we don’t need these products,” a representative of the Flemish Institute of Healthy Life told Flanders Today. “We don’t forbid them, but they should be rather an exception than rule.”

Source

“Belgium’s New Food Pyramid,” Marion Nestle, foodpolitics.com, Dec. 5, 2017.