The Austrian Food Pyramid (2024) — Renewed Recommendations

The Austrian food pyramid

Austria renewed its dietary recommendations in July 2024. What's new: two pyramids — one for omnivores (“I eat everything”) and one for a vegetarian diet — plus a “healthy plate” as a simple companion.

Two pyramids instead of one

The revised recommendations were published on 25 July 2024; the new pyramid graphics followed in autumn 2024. They are issued by Gesundheit Österreich (GÖG), the AGES and the ÖGE on behalf of the health ministry (BMSGPK).

For the first time there are two variants: one for people who eat everything, one fully vegetarian. Both share the same structure, from the base (drinks) to the tip (fatty, sweet and salty foods).

The omnivore pyramid, step by step

• Drinks — at least 1.5 litres a day (6 portions)
• Vegetables and fruit — 5 a day; one portion is a clenched fist
• Grains and potatoes — 4 portions a day
• Milk and dairy — 2 portions a day (it was 3 in 2010)
• Oils, fats, nuts and seeds — about 2 portions a day
• Legumes — at least 3 times a week, a category of their own since 2024
• Fish, meat and egg — 1 portion each of fish and meat a week, eggs up to 3
• Fatty, sweet and salty foods — only occasionally, in small amounts

From base to tip, the “I eat everything” pyramid recommends:

What the vegetarian variant changes

The vegetarian pyramid offsets the animal blocks: more grains (5 portions instead of 4), more dairy (3 portions, of which two “white” and one “yellow”) and more legumes (at least 4 times a week). Eggs are set at up to four a week.

The healthy plate

As a quick guide without portions there's the healthy plate: one half vegetables and fruit, one quarter wholegrains and potatoes, one quarter protein — mostly from plant sources. For pregnancy and the first years of life there's a dedicated programme, “Richtig essen von Anfang an.”

Austria's amounts broadly match the German food pyramid; the portion calculator estimates your personal needs.