P134 - PROPOSAL REVIEW OF THE METHODOLOGY FOR CALCULATING THE PERCENTAGES OF FOOD GROUPS IN THE PORTUGUESE FOOD WHEEL

P134

PROPOSAL REVIEW OF THE METHODOLOGY FOR CALCULATING THE PERCENTAGES OF FOOD GROUPS IN THE PORTUGUESE FOOD WHEEL

N. Nunes^1,*, A. Coelho^2,3, L. Oliveira⁴

¹Nutrition, Unidade Local de Saúde Arrábida, Setúbal, ²Nursing, Évora University, Évora, ³Comprehensive Health Research Centre, Lisboa, ⁴Nutrition, SESARAM, Funchal, Portugal

Rationale: The Portuguese Food Wheel (FW) was implemented in 1977 and updated in 2003. This New Food Wheel (NWF) started using 7 food groups and defined new percentage values ​​based on amounts calculated from daily energy intake. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that criteria and calculation methodology for determining NWF food group percentages should be reviewed.

Methods: Descriptive observational study using relative statistical metrics. Foods were selected from the Portuguese food composition table and grouped according to nutritional similarities by the seven groups defined in the elaboration of the NWF. However, in all groups, foods considered ultra-processed or whose nutritional value was altered by the addition of other ingredients were excluded, and the averages of macronutrients, micronutrients and energy were calculated for each group. The amounts of food to be consumed were multiplied to the nutrient averages for each group until totaling the energy and nutritional values ​​that cover the needs of the population. The sum of the amounts of food for each energy value calculated the relative percentage of each food group on the New Version of the Food Wheel (NVWF).

Results: The application of the new criteria and calculation methodology in the NVWF obtained slightly different percentages for some of the food groups in relation to the NWF respectively: Fats and oils – 2% vs 2%; Dairy products – 19% vs 18%; Meat, fish and eggs – 7% vs 5%; Pulses – 6% vs 4%; Cereals and derivatives, tubers – 21% vs 28%; Vegetables – 22% vs 23%; Fruit – 23% vs 20%.

Conclusion: The calculation method based on multiplying the amounts of food by the average of nutrients is better suited to educational and clinical practice, as it allows an immediate assessment of whether the amounts of food consumed reflect the recommended percentages.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared