Food-Based Dietary Guidelines in Countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region: A Comparison and an Update

Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) are key tools for providing comprehensive, evidence-based recommendations for healthy eating using simple and understandable holistic diet approaches. This study aims to review national FBDGs in the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR), examine and compare their dietary and lifestyle recommendations, and explore the inclusion of environmental sustainability considerations. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO’s) global online FBDGs repository, Google Scholar, and ministry websites were consulted. Results showed that national FBDGs were available in 12 out of the 22 EMR countries (54.5%). The main purpose of these FBDGs was the promotion of general health by emphasizing the adoption of healthy dietary and lifestyle patterns. The various FBDGs categorized their foods into five, six, or seven different groups, the main differences being related to the inclusion of legumes and nuts as a distinct food group in some guides (instead of being in the group of meats and alternative), and to the featuring of fats and oils as a separate food group. In addition to promoting healthy and varied diets, all FBDGs in the region addressed food safety (100%), physical activity (100%), meal patterns (42%), maintenance of healthy body weight (83%), sleep (50%), and emotional well-being (17%). Aspects related to environmental protection were only considered by six national FBDGs (50%), of which only four addressed sustainability (33%). The study’s findings show that a minority of the FBDGs have undertaken revisions, which are particularly important in light of the global calls for promoting diets that are healthy for both people and the planet.