New healthy eating guidelines for Irish people have been issued by the FSAI

Updated healthy eating guidelines have been issued in an attempt to improve the nation's diet.

The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) hs published the updated Healthy Eating, Food Safety and Food Legislation – a guide supporting the Healthy Ireland Food Pyramid. Developed in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive, the guide covers portion sizes and servings, tips for choosing the healthiest types of foods, food warnings and how to reduce risks while cooking. It was launched by Catherine Byrne, Minister of State at the Department of Health with responsibility for Health Promotion, on Monday. Included in the guide is the updated version of the food pyramid - updated by the Department of Health in 2016 - to base your healthy eating plan off. Dr Pamela Byrne, CEO of the FSAI, has spoken about the confusion that can often surround the topic of healthy eating and dieting, and how she hopes the new guide will help inform people, saying: "It is a combination of international best practice with up-to-date Irish research to ensure the advice meets the specific dietary needs of the Irish population. "It provides food-based advice that protects people from five years of age onwards against diet-related ill health such as heart disease, cancer, obesity and diabetes, which are major causes of ill health in Ireland. It gives this advice across four age groups from 5 to 51+years with distinct information for those leading active and non-active lifestyles." More information on the updated Healthy Eating, Food Safety and Food Legislation can be found here.