The model takes into account what we usually eat
Previous eating habits make up the largest proportion. They largely determine what the model spits out and recommends in terms of food for Germany, regardless of whether it would be the healthiest diet. Some “superfoods” are given little or hardly any consideration.
A concrete example: Liver is nutrient-rich and because of these ingredients, the model recommended it in high quantities. But we Germans don’t eat it regularly and certainly not in such quantities.
We know from studies that Fish is a particularly good alternative to red or white meat, contains many important and healthy nutrients and is correlated with better health values in studies. But for many Germans, fish is a special meal. The current recommendation already recommends more fish than is eaten on average in Germany, but far less than is sensible from a health perspective.
Germany is not a country of “superfoods”
In the same way, exotic fruits or the like may have had particularly good effects in studies, but they are not the standard dish on the plate in Germany.
So while it would be theoretically possible that dragon fruit, avocado or acai berries should be included in breakfast, lunch and dinner, they are not shown on the DGE nutrition circle. They are hardly ever eaten at the moment. The Data on this comes from an older survey, the National Consumption Study II. This determines the average recommendation from Germans.
Potato instead of pumpkin
That’s exactly why potatoes, for example, are so important to us. The model would be due to cultural and traditional menus In other countries, people recommend completely different meals or foods under the same health aspects.
The DGE has not yet published which food groups (groups) were calculated and recommended taking only health aspects into account. The only thing that is clear is what the model definitely avoids: eggs, juices, red and processed meat as well as refined grains (white bread, white pasta, white rice, most breakfast cereals) are then almost completely eliminated.
Meat becomes a side dish
But we can play through with you what that would mean. So imagine that the model recommends a combination of two very healthy diets, namely Mediterranean and Japanese cuisine:
You would have to avoid most of the beef and pork and instead switch to fish and plant-based protein sources such as tofu or seitan. Poultry offers little nutritional value other than protein, so it is largely eliminated.
Most bread and baked goods are avoided, instead carbohydrates are replaced with whole grain products or the carbohydrates come from the much larger proportion of vegetables and fruit. Much more common pumpkin or sweet potato dishes instead of spaghetti or fried potatoes? Soy slices instead of schnitzel or meatballs? For many, this change is difficult.
Habits are meant to increase acceptance
The high weighting of previous eating habits should help as many people as possible to make their diet healthier in the future. Instead of a radical change, it’s more of an adjustment. Not a completely changed menu, bans or deleted favorite dishes, but a recommendation for other meals and priorities.
That sounds quite plausible. We know it from very strict diets where we turn our entire diet upside down to achieve short-term weight loss. This works for a few weeks, rarely months, and at some point we fall back into old patterns – also because the environment usually doesn’t cooperate or makes it incredibly difficult.
