Food Based Dietary Guidelines for Sri Lankans integrates Sustainability messages in the Practitioners’ Handbook. The forward explains that, “Sri Lanka first published food-based dietary guidelines in 2002. A revised version was launched in 2011. In 2020, Nutrition Division of Ministry of Health undertook the task of reviewing and updating the Food Based Dietary Guideline (FBDG) again, incorporating evidence based latest information along with the global concept of the environmentally sustainable healthy diet.”
The FBDG defines environmentally sustainable diets as “Sustainable healthy diets are dietary patterns that promote all dimensions of individuals’ health and wellbeing; have low environmental pressure and impact; are accessible, affordable, safe and equitable; and are culturally acceptable.” They include tips throughout the FBDG for:
- Plant-based diets
- Growing fruits and vegetables organically in the home garden as much as possible.
- Well-planned home cooked food to reduce food waste
The downloads and power points on the site that are complementary to the Practitioners handbook are less focused on the environmental and societal aspects of sustainable diets, and more focused on human health.
Transparency | Diversity | Dynamism | Evidence-based |