In mid-2020, the Australian Government announced funding for a review of the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADGs) (1). The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is leading the review, which is expected to take around four years to complete.

It represents a real opportunity to shift the eating patterns of Australians for the better, including to:

1. Re-emphasise diversity and variety within food groups
2. Prioritise plant-based protein foods
3. Elevate nuts as important to eat every day (minimum 30g daily). 

Why are dietary guidelines important?

The ADGs provide guidance on the amount and kinds of foods to eat for health and wellbeing.

Following the guidelines gives Australians the best chance of getting enough of the nutrients needed for good health, and can also help reduce the risk of chronic health conditions (1).

Where do nuts fit in the 2013 ADGs?

Nuts are included in one of the five food groups – the ‘Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans’ group. This group is commonly referred to as the ‘protein’ or ‘lean meat and alternatives’ food group.

The 2013 ADGs state ‘nuts are to be used occasionally, as a substitute for other foods in the group’. 

Nuts are ‘hidden’ in the 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines.

Why elevate nuts in future dietary guidelines?

Regular nut consumption is an integral part of many healthy dietary patterns.

A proposed food-based graphic, incorporating a ‘nuts’ food group (with a minimum 30g nuts daily)

Nuts are important every day

Decades of research, including numerous systematic reviews and meta-analyses, link regular nut consumption with a range of cardiometabolic benefits, and a reduced risk of chronic disease (2-5).

The authors of a 2022 umbrella review, of more than 145 systematic literature reviews and meta-analyses, concluded that ‘the evidence supports dietary recommendations to eat a handful of nuts a day’ (6).

A diet low in nuts and seeds has a bigger impact on disease burden than a diet low in vegetables (7).

Nut intake is chronically low

Australian Health Survey data shows that, like fruit and vegetable intake, nut intake is chronically low (8).

The survey found just 2% of Australians consumed 30g nuts a day, 7.5% of adults met the guidelines for vegetable intake, and 51% of adults met the recommended daily serves of fruit.

The average daily intake of nuts is 4.6g, falling well short of the target intake of 30g.

The EAT Lancet Commission’s 2019 report states that to achieve dietary recommendations for improved human and planetary health, global intake of nuts needs to double (9).

Nuts are a rich source of plant protein

Research shows favourable effects of plant protein on health, with reduced risk of chronic disease when more protein comes from plant sources, such as nuts (10).

But Australia’s existing guidelines do not explicitly prioritise plant-based protein foods.

Instead, evidence suggests the majority (almost 90%) of the total servings consumed by the average Australian from within the ‘protein’ food group come from animal-based foods (with 73% from red meat and poultry alone) (11).

Nuts are unlike other ‘protein group’ foods

Nuts have a very different nutritional profile (and different health benefits) to the other foods within the ‘protein’ food group.

For instance, in addition to plant protein, they contain unsaturated fatty acids (unlike tofu and legumes/beans, for instance) and dietary fibre (unlike animal-sourced protein foods).

As well as plant protein, unsaturated fatty acids and dietary fibre, nuts are also rich in polyphenols, phytosterols and micronutrients, including folate, several valuable forms of vitamin E, selenium and magnesium.

Dietary guidance in other countries

Examples of global dietary guidance, and messaging on ‘protein’, including plant protein foods (and nuts) – compared with the Australian Dietary Guidelines