Dutch guidelines prioritise plant protein
Dutch guidelines prioritise plant protein
The Netherlands is the latest country to highlight plant proteins in its updated dietary guidelines, now recommending that 60% of daily protein comes from plant sources, such as legumes and nuts (1).
The Dutch Health Council’s guidelines, released in late 2025, strongly advocate for a shift to more plant-rich diets for better health and environmental sustainability.
Key ‘protein source’ recommendations include:
- Aim for 60% of protein from plant sources.
- Eat more legumes (around 250g/week), unsalted nuts (15-30g daily), and whole grains.
- Limit red meat to around 200g/week and minimise processed meats.
- Consume a few servings of dairy per day, along with 100g of fish per week.
The Netherlands’ revised recommendations reflect the Health Council’s advisory report ‘A healthy protein transition’, which was published in 2023 (2).
A shift towards a diet with more plant-based proteins and fewer animal-based proteins is better for the environment and healthier for most Dutch people. Health Council of the Netherlands
What do other countries say about protein foods?
In recent years, several countries have released updated dietary guidance, many of which place greater emphasis on plant-based protein foods – and recommend eating nuts daily.
In contrast, the (2013) Australian Dietary Guidelines (3) do not include an explicit recommendation to increase plant-based protein intake and state that nuts should ‘only be used occasionally, as a substitute for other foods’ within the ‘protein’ food group.
Table: Examples of recent global dietary guidance
| Country | Protein foods and nuts positioning/messaging |
| Netherlands: Dutch dietary guidelines: protein sources and dietary patterns, 2025 | Advises that 60% of the protein in a person’s diet should come from plant-based sources. Recommends 250g of legumes per week, and 15-30g of unsalted nuts daily. |
| Belgium: Food-based dietary guidelines for the Belgium population, 2025 | The guidelines emphasise the importance of whole plant foods, advising that legumes should be consumed several times per week, and (unsalted) nuts (20-30g) every day. |
| Switzerland: Swiss Dietary Recommendations (for adults), 2024 | Within the protein food group, lists pulses first, and encourages more of these. Advises to ‘Enjoy more meals made with plant-based protein sources’. Nuts are in their own ‘food group’ with ‘one small handful a day’ recommended. |
| Germany: Eat and drink well – recommendations of the German Nutrition Society (DGE), 2024 | The DGE Nutrition Circle is divided into seven segments, each representing a food group. ‘Legumes and nuts’ have their own segment, with the guidance to ‘Consume legumes and nuts regularly’. Recommends a small handful (25g) of nuts daily. |
| Finland: Sustainable health from food – national nutrition recommendations, 2024 | Steers people ‘towards more plant-oriented diets for health and environmental reasons’. Recommends a protein shift from meat to plant-based sources, particularly legumes. Guidance for nuts is ‘30g (two tablespoonfuls) a day, or 200–250g a week’. |
| India: Dietary Guidelines for Indians, 2024 | A ‘portion’ of the ‘My Plate for the Day’ is allocated to nuts and seeds. Recommends 35g of nuts and seeds a day for adults (for a 2,000Kcal Indian diet). States to ‘Add varieties of oilseeds and nuts in daily diet’. |
| Nordic and Baltic countries: Nordic nutrition recommendations, 2023 | Recommendations include ‘a predominantly plant-based diet’, ‘ample intake of fish and nuts’ and ‘limited intake of red meat and poultry’. Recommends 20-30g of nuts per day. States: ‘Nuts and seeds are important in plant-based diets as they have low GHG emissions and a high nutrient density’. |
| Australia: Australian Dietary Guidelines, 2013 | Does not contain an explicit recommendation to increase plant-based protein foods. The ‘protein’ group is termed ‘Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans’. States nuts should ‘only be used occasionally, as a substitute for other foods’ in the ‘protein’ group. |
Did you know? In late 2024, the United States Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee recommended reordering the ‘Protein Foods Group’ to list beans, peas, and lentils first, followed by nuts, seeds, and soy products, then seafood, and finally meats, poultry, and eggs (4).
The bottom line:
The 2013 Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADGs) are currently under review.
This represents a real opportunity to shift the eating patterns of Australians for the better, including to emphasise diversity and variety within food groups, prioritise plant-based protein foods, and recommend a minimum of 30g of nuts every day.
Many other countries, including the Netherlands, have already adopted such changes.
Did you know? The majority (87%) of the total servings consumed by the average Australian from within the ‘Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans’ ADGs food group, come from animal-based foods (5,6), with plant alternatives (nuts and legumes) contributing just 13%.
References
- Netherlands Health Council. Dutch dietary guidelines: dietary protein sources and dietary patterns 2025 (DDG2025). Accessed 15 December 2025. Available at: https://www.healthcouncil.nl/documents/2025/12/04/dutch-dietary-guidelines-protein-sources-and-dietary-patterns-2025
- Netherlands Health Council. A healthy protein transition. Accessed 15 December 2025. Available at: https://www.healthcouncil.nl/documents/2023/12/13/a-healthy-protein-transition
- National Health and Medical Research Council. Eat for Health – Australian Dietary Guidelines. Providing the scientific evidence for healthier Australian diets. 2013. Available at: https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines
- 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. 2024. Scientific Report of the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee: Advisory Report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Secretary of Agriculture. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://doi.org/10.52570/DGAC2025
- Ridoutt, B., Baird, D., & Hendrie, G. The importance of protein variety in a higher quality and lower environmental impact dietary pattern. Public Health Nutrition, 2022. 25(12):3583-8.
- Hendrie, GA., et al. Towards healthier and more sustainable diets in the Australian context: Comparison of current diets with the Australian Dietary Guidelines and the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet. BMC Public Health, 2022. 22:1939.
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