To ensure we live a healthy lifestyle, it is important to focus on meeting our body’s nutrient requirements. By sticking to the core food groups, you can give yourself a real head start …
To help us choose foods for good health and reduce our risk of chronic health problems, The Australian Dietary Guidelines and Australian Guide to Healthy Eating encourage us to choose foods high in nutrients but lower in kilojoules, particularly from saturated fats and sugars.
This all sounds a bit technical, so let’s try simplify it and make it easier to consume (pardon the pun)…
- Your requirements change depending on your age and gender; however we should be aiming for a variety of all of the 5 core foods groups.
These are:
1: Vegetables
2: Fruit
3: Grains
4: Protein
5: Dairy.
A serving size is a standardised measurement to ensure we are not under or over-consuming a particular food group. For example, the average adult needs 5-6 serves of vegetables per day, where a serving size of vegetables is 1 cup of salad, or 0.5 cup of cooked vegetables.
Becoming familiar with what your daily requirements are ensures that you are able to make informed food decisions to get all the vitamins and minerals you need, a not over or under consuming any food groups.
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- Try keeping a food diary (this is basically a journal where you’d write down everything you eat at each meal, each day) and compare this to your core food group requirements found on the Eat for Health website every week.
Meeting these essential nutrient targets is not only crucial for health and wellbeing, but also reduces risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers.
If you have any questions about your own diet or would like dietary advice from your Able Dietician, send us a message letting us know what you’re after and we’ll be in touch to help you achieve your goals!
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