Austria's New Dietary Guidelines Recommend Less Meat, More Plant Proteins

Austria’s Ministry of Health recently published updated dietary guidelines that recommend eating less meat, fish, and dairy in favor of more plant-based proteins.

The Competence Centre for Climate and Health, the Austrian Agency for Health and Food Security, and the Austrian Society for Nutrition developed the new guidelines collaboratively at the request of the Ministry of Health, taking into account both health and climate concerns.

The guidelines include a new “plate model,” which depicts what the Ministry of Health calls the “optimal composition” of a meal. Half of the plate consists of vegetables and fruit, a quarter is whole grains and potatoes, and a quarter is proteins. However, the majority of the protein section is notably taken up by plant-based sources like beans and pulses.

This is the first time plant-based proteins have formed a separate category, and the guidelines suggest a minimum of three servings of plant-based proteins per week and four for vegetarians. They also suggest that meat-eaters eat a maximum of three servings of meat and fish per week, though more generous allowances for dairy and eggs are included.

Austria’s dietary guidelines are just the latest to emphasize plant-based foods

Photo shows an illustration of the "optimal" plate included by Austria in its new dietary guidelines — Ã BMSGPK / Fotostudio Mayer Significantly less than one-quarter of Austria’s “optimal” plate includes animal products

The update was announced in July and the official New Austrian Food Pyramids will be published later this year, including an omnivore and vegetarian version. The Ministry of Health’s website currently includes a vegan FAQ intended to provide “security and guidance.”

The news came around one month after Germany updated its own dietary guidelines to acknowledge the myriad benefits of eating more plant-based foods. In reassessing vegan nutrition, the German Nutrition Society said it considered “all four target dimensions” of a sustainable diet – health, the environment, social benefits, and animal welfare.

In April, the World Health Organization called for experts to help design global dietary guidelines with a to-be-defined “optimal” ratio of plant-based to animal-based foods.