Official name

Dietary guidelines for Venezuela (Spanish: Guías de alimentación para Venezuela).

Publication year

Venezuela published its food-based dietary guidelines in 1991.

Process and stakeholders

The development of the dietary guidelines was led by the National Nutrition Institute and the Cavendes Foundation, in collaboration with the Central University of Venezuela and the Simon Bolivar University of Venezuela.

The guidelines are endorsed by the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and the National Institute of Nutrition.

Intended audience

The guidelines are directed at the general population aged 2 years and older.

Food guide

Venezuela’s food guide is the ‘food spinning top’, which is divided into five food groups: cereals and tubers at the top, followed by vegetables, fruits, animal-source foods, and fats and sugars. The string is a line of water where a family engages in physical activity.

Venezuela has also developed a food guide for its indigenour population. The main difference can be found in the animal-source foods group, which includes wild animals such as crocodiles. The string of water represents a river where an indigenous person paddles down in a kayak and a second one hunts.

Messages

• Eat a varied diet.
• Eat just enough to maintain a healthy weight.
• Try and eat with your family.
• Handle food hygienically.
• Manage your money well when buying food.
• Breast milk is the best food for infants under 6 months of age.
• Eat animal-source foods in moderation.
• Use vegetable oils in the preparation of meals and avoid using too much animal fat.
• Get the fibre that your body needs from plant foods on a daily basis.
• Moderate your salt intake.
• Water is essential for life and its consumption helps to maintain health.
• Alcoholic beverages are not part of a healthy diet.