RESUMO
The work herein described proposes certain essential methodological baselines in preparing nutritional guidelines for the population. Based on the general statement concerning the social and nutritional conditions of Colombia--which point out the general tendencies for Latin America--the author presents some of the actual relations between food habits and local epidemiology. The establishment of nutritional guides for the community requires a general conception of the food system and concurrent and concerted actions in the production, distribution and consumption sub-systems. The economic and sociocultural factors that must be taken into account when designing these guides, are defined in the present document. Among such factors, it is unavoidable to be fully cognizant of the food habits and practices of the population. Consequently, the development of surveys and qualitative studies that maintain actual diagnostics constitutes an indispensable tool for the adequate preparation of nutritional guides.