Are you hitting the recommended daily intake of nutrients from all of the 5 food groups in your current diet?

The purpose of the Australian Dietary Guidelines are to promote overall health and wellbeing and to reduce the risks of chronic diseases. They are based on the consumption of whole foods such vegetables, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish, and reduced fat milk, yoghurt and cheese products.

In addition the guidelines aim to reduce the intake of energy dense, low nutrient foods to help people keep within their energy intake and healthy weight ranges.

You might think these guidelines are obvious, or that you even follow them but it’s very common for people to not be getting enough nutrients from ALL 5 food groups. Usually overeating in one group and missing out on others. 

That is why it’s so important and really helpful to compare your current diet to these guidelines to see where you can improve.

Evidence suggest Australians neet to eat more:

• Vegetables and legumes/beans
• Fruits
• Wholegrain cereals
• Reduced fat milk, yogurt, cheese
• Fish seafood, poultry eggs, legumes/beans, and nuts and seeds
• Red meat (young females only)

Evidence suggest Australians need to eat less:

• Starchy vegetables  (i.e. there is a need to include a wider variety of different types and colours of vegetables)
• Refined cereals
• High and medium fat dairy foods
• Red meats (adult males only)
• Food and drinks high in saturated fat, added sugar, added salt, or alcohol (e.g. fried foods, most take-away foods from quick service restaurants, cakes and biscuits, chocolate and confectionery, sweetened drinks).

Here is a sample of the daily food patterns for Adults in Australia – How do you compare?

References: https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au

Nathan Spring