Nutrition and health or nutrients and health?

Abstract

Diet is an important contributor to human health and public health bodies are issuing guidelines aimed at favouring healthy food choices. The aim of our paper is to discuss the aspects underlying the concept of nutrient profiles, that is, defining levels of energy, some macronutrients, or salt which should not be exceeded in individual foods, according to the available evidence, to help in understanding to what extent such approach may actually be useful for improving nutrition and quality of life of European consumers. We list several pitfalls and oversimplifications of the current approaches to nutrient profiling and of the dichotomic classification of foods into “healthy” and “unhealthy” products. In view of the current “Facilitating healthier food choices – establishing nutrient profiles” EU initiative, we believe that further debate among all stakeholders is warranted and must consider all the limitations outlined in this paper.