Official name

Guide to Good Practice: rational nutrition, food safety and changing nutrition behaviours (Romanian: Ghid de bune practici: Alimentație rațională, siguranța alimentelor și schimbarea comportamentului alimentar)

Publication year

Moldova published its first dietary guidelines in 2019.

Stakeholder Involvement

The development process was led by the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy of the Republic of Moldova “Nicolae Testemitanu” and involved national experts from relevant fields: health, food and nutrition, and education.

The Guide was endorsed by the Council of Experts of the Ministry of Health in January 2019.

Products, Resources and Target audience

The Guide targets the general population but also includes specific recommendations for different population groups, e.g. pregnant women, infants and the elderly. It also provides general recommendations for dietary practices for both healthy people, as well as those with deviations in health and certain pathologies (obesity, diabetes etc.) which may be influenced by diet.

Implementation

There is no official implementation plan for the guidelines.

Evaluation

There is no official monitoring and evaluation plan for the guidelines.

Food guide

There is no visual food guide for the Moldavian dietary guidelines. However, the Moldavian principles of a healthy, rational, balanced diet include five food groups:

1. Cereals
2. Vegetables
3. Fruits
4. Milk and dairy products
5. Meat fish and eggs

Messages

Recommendations based on Healthy Eating Plate (for general population):

• Half of meals should consist of fruits and vegetables. Take various kinds of vegetables and fruits many times per day possibly fresh and locally produced;
• ¼ of plate should contain whole grains. Take various kinds of cereals (wheat, oat, barley, quinoa, brown rice etc). Limit consumption of refined cereals (white rice and bread);
• ¼ of plate should contain protein food (fish, chicken, beans, walnuts etc). Limit consumption of red meat and avoid processed meat products;
• Take healthy vegetable and seed oils (olive, rape, corn, sun-flower, walnuts) for cooking and salads;
• Limit consumption of butter; drink water, tea and coffee without sugar, dairy products at 1-2 meals per day, and avoid sugar-sweetened beverages.

Recommendations for children:

• Ensuring daily food diversity or consumption of food from all food groups and sub-groups;
• Ensuring fair proportionality between food groups and sub-groups, namely a higher intake of fruits, vegetables, cereals and dairy products compared to food with a high content of fat and added sugar;
• Moderate consumption of some food, choice of food to ensure low intake of saturated fats (butter, fatty meat) and added sugar.

Recommendations for elderly:

• Increase consumption of whole grains, vegetables of green and orange colours, legumes and milk;
• Reduce intake of solid fat, sodium, sugar;
• Choose food with higher levels of fibre, calcium, magnesium, zinc, Vitamin B12, C, E and D.