The food and beverages we eat and drink (our diet) play and important role in our overall health and wellbeing. Food provides energy, nutrients and other components that, if provided in insufficient or excess amounts can result in ill health. Our diet can affect conditions like coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, some types of cancer, type 2 diabetes, dental caries and nutritional anaemias.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG) developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) provide advice on healthy eating habits in order to reduce diet related diseases (NHMRC 2013). The ADG recommends that Australians eat a wide variety of nutritious foods from the 5 food groups every day, which include:
- plenty of vegetables, including different types and colours and legumes/ beans
- fruit
- grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high fibre varieties, such as breads, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, polenta, couscous, oats, quinoa and barley
- lean meats and alternatives and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts, seeds and legumes/ beans
- dairy, including milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or their alternatives, mostly reduced fat (reduced fat milks are not suitable for children under 2)
- drink plenty of water (NHMRC 2013).
The ADG also provides advice on nutrition for infants, such as breastfeeding, which promotes the healthy growth and development of infants and young children (NHMRC 2013). The NHRMC have also developed infant feeding guidelines which recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed until around 6 months of age when solid foods are introduced (NHMRC 2012).
For more information on breastfeeding, see Australia's mothers and babies.
Discretionary foods are foods that are not needed to meet nutrient requirements and do not fit into the 5 food groups. They are high in kilojoules, saturated fat, sodium (such as salt) added sugars and alcohol. The ADG recommends limiting the intake of these foods, as high intake can come at the expense of more nutritious foods from the 5 food groups.
Australia also has a set of Nutrient Reference Values that provide recommended levels of intake of specific nutrients to meet the needs of healthy individuals (NHMRC 2006). The Nutrient Reference Values include Estimated Average Requirements, which can be used to estimate the prevalence of inadequate intakes in the population, and Upper Levels of Intake, which can be used to estimate the proportion of the population at risk of adverse effects from excessive intake.
For more information on diet, see:
References
NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council) (2006) Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand, NHMRC, Australian Government, accessed 28 May 2024.
NHMRC (2012) Infant Feeding Guidelines: information for health workers, NHMRC, Australian Government, accessed 28 May 2024.
NHMRC (2013) Australian Dietary Guidelines, NHMRC, Australian Government, accessed 28 May 2024.
