Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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456. To ask the Minister for Health the steps he is taking to promote alternative diet advice, including food pyramids, to cater for persons who choose a plant-based diet, vegan-based diet or similar in order to have good awareness of nutrient sources and daily intake requirements. [4496/18]

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Healthy Food for Life campaign launched by my Department in 2016 includes a range of resources outlining the revised Healthy Eating Guidelines and the Food Pyramid.

The Food Pyramid offers a wide range of food choices from each shelf to allow individuals to plan a healthy, balanced diet according to their own personal food preferences. The variety of foods on each shelf provides the specific nutrients in the correct amounts required for good health.

The Food Pyramid recommends a range of plant based foods. For example, plant based protein foods include tofu, soya beans, beans, peas and lentils as well as nuts and seeds. Carbohydrate recommendations include potatoes, yams or plantain as well as wholegrains and the fruit and vegetables recommendation has increased from 5 to 7 servings a day. The Healthy Food for Life resources recommend soya milk with added calcium as a dairy alternative to cow's milk for those who may not wish to consume dairy products.

In addition to the Food Pyramid and Healthy Eating Guidelines, the Healthy Food for Life resources include menu plans and detailed fact sheets so individuals can make their own food choices. These resources are available at healthpromotion.ie/healthy eating.