Healthy eating

Healthy eating isn’t just about diets and weight control, it’s about enjoying food and drink.

The right diet can mean higher energy levels and vitality, plus it helps us to maintain a healthy body weight, improve sleep patterns and gain greater concentration levels.

The ‘secret’ to maintaining good health is combining a healthy eating plan with regular physical activity. While you may be tempted to follow the latest fad diet, be aware, that as many of these diets will excessively restrict your intake of foods, and sometimes entire food groups – they may leave you lacking key nutrients.

The Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults

Nutritious foods and an active lifestyle can help you achieve good health throughout your life. The Dietary Guidelines for Australians highlight the groups of foods and lifestyle patterns that promote good nutrition and health. No guideline is more important than another. Each guideline (see below) deals with a key issue and is like a piece of a puzzle – and this guide will help you put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods

• Eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruits.
• Eat plenty of cereals (including breads, rice, pasta and noodles), preferably wholegrain.
• Include lean meat, fish, poultry and/or alternatives.
• Include milks, yoghurts, cheeses and/or alternatives – reduced fat varieties should be chosen, where possible.
• Drink plenty of water.

and take care to:

• limit saturated fat and moderate total fat intake;
• choose foods low in salt;
• limit your alcohol intake if you choose to drink; and
• consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars.

Each food group has a unique group of nutrients and something special to offer.

• Wholegrain cereals are rich in B vitamins and fibre.
• Fruit and vegetables contain vitamin C and folate.
• Dairy foods are the best source of calcium.
• Red meats are rich in iron and zinc.
• Fish is an excellent source of omega 3 fats.
• Nuts and vegetable oils are rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin E.

No single food can keep us really healthy. Everyone needs to eat a variety of foods every day. The Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults provides information on  foods you need to choose more of and foods you need in smaller amounts.

Eating a variety of foods is the best and safest way to get the widest range of nutrients, as opposed to just taking a vitamin or mineral supplement.

Eat plenty of vegetables, legumes and fruit

Vegetables, legumes and fruit are ‘protective foods’ – they are packed with vitamins, minerals and other compounds that support good health. Eating these foods will ensure that your immune system is enhanced and you will be better protected from illness and disease. Fruit and vegetables are low in fat, salt and sugar and provide a good source of dietary fibre – helping you to reduce obesity and maintain a healthy weight, and lower your cholesterol and blood pressure.

Try and include five types of vegetable a day. Enjoy a variety of green, yellow/orange and red vegetables. The goodness of the nutrients supplied by vegetables may change with cooking, depending on the nutrient – so it is a good idea to include both cooked and raw vegetables in your daily meals.

Stir frying, microwaving or steaming are ideal ways to cook vegetables. Try not to boil vegetables for too long as some nutrients and flavour will be lost.

There are many varieties of fruit and vegetables available and, if you buy them in season, they need not be expensive. Fruits and vegetables can be dried, canned, frozen or fresh.

Eat at least two pieces of fruit each day.

Legumes include baked beans, red kidney beans, chickpeas, lentils, lima beans and borlotti beans. Try and include legumes in your diet a few times a week.

Eat plenty of cereals, preferably wholegrain

Cereals are one of the most important foods. In Australia, cereal grains are used to make popular foods like breakfast cereals, bread, pasta, noodles and rice products. Other cereal foods include flour, semolina, polenta, couscous and burghul. Eating cereals will help lessen your chance of developing diabetes and heart disease.

The most nutritious cereal foods are wholegrain. Examples include high fibre breakfast cereals, wholemeal breads and crispbreads, oatmeal, brown rice, wholemeal pasta and popcorn.

Cereals are packed with vitamins, minerals and other compounds that protect your good health, and improve the functioning of your immune system to help keep illness at bay.

Much of our dietary fibre intake comes from cereals, particularly wholegrains. Fibre plays a vital role in keeping us ‘regular’. Including plenty of wholegrain foods and cereal fibre in your daily meals is a good way to prevent constipation and may reduce your risk for other bowel problems such as diverticular disease and bowel cancer.

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Eat at least four to five serves of cereal foods a day.

When wholegrains are refined (for example, to produce white flour) a large portion of fibre is lost. Refined cereals include cake, desserts, white bread, pasta, muffins, sweet or savoury biscuits, white rice, pancakes, waffles and pizza.

Refined cereals do not have the same health benefits.

Include lean meats, fish, poultry and/or alternatives

Beef, lamb, pork, fish, poultry, eggs, shellfish, nuts and legumes are a varied group of foods with one thing in common – they are all excellent sources of iron, and play a very important role in our daily diet.

Tiredness, reduced ability at work and less resistance to infection may result from low iron levels.

Lean meats, trimmed of fat, are the best choices (rather than sausages and processed meats).

Enjoy lean, red meat three or four times each week and eat one or two fish meals a week.

Include milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives

Milk is a highly nutritious food containing protein, vitamin A and some B vitamins which add to your daily intake of nutrients. However, the unique job of milk and other dairy products is to provide calcium to the diet.

No matter what your age you still need dairy foods to provide calcium. Calcium is vital for your bone health throughout life. Physical activity is also of great importance in the development and maintenance of strong bones.

From about middle age our bones begin to slowly weaken. This gradual bone loss can be slowed by a high calcium intake from dairy foods – and as a result, the chance of fracturing or breaking a bone can be reduced.

Include two servings a day of milk, yoghurt or cheese – but be moderate with full fat cheeses, butter, cream and ice-cream.

Drink plenty of water

Water is essential for life. We can do without some nutrients for weeks, even months, but a few days without water is life-threatening.

Water absorbs nutrients from food and transports them around the body, flushes away our waste products and helps to maintain a constant body temperature.

Water is lost from the body through urine and sweat, and must be replaced through our diets. Many people, though, don't consume enough and as a result may become dehydrated, causing symptoms such as headaches, tiredness and loss of concentration. Chronic dehydration can contribute to a number of health problems, such as constipation and kidney stones.

In a mild climate, an average person needs to drink about a litre and half of fluids each day.

• Water is the best drink to quench thirst, with tap water a safe and economical choice.
• Soft drinks, flavoured mineral waters, sports drinks and cordials are not good every day substitutes for water.

Increase your intake of fresh fruit and vegetables; these have a high water content as well as many other health benefits.

Limit saturated fats and moderate total fat intake

Saturated fats increase the level of cholesterol in your blood, which in turn will increase your risk of heart disease.

Saturated fats are found in butter, cream, cheese and other full-fat dairy products. Fatty meats, sausages, biscuits, cakes, pastries, snack foods and fried take-away foods are also rich in saturated fat.

By limiting saturated fat you reduce the total amount of fat in your diet, helping you to keep your body weight under control.

Choose foods low in salt

When too much salt is eaten blood pressure tends to rise. High blood pressure increases the risk of both heart disease and stroke.

Much of the salt we eat today is already present in many every day foods. Breads, breakfast cereals, margarines, soups and cheeses are all significant sources of salt. While it is okay to include these products in our diet as they also provide important nutrients, look for ‘reduced-salt’ or ‘low-salt’ products when shopping.
 
Processed meats, snack foods and many take away foods are often laden with salt. In addition, many people also commonly add extra salt at the table.

 Today there are many alternative ways to enhance the flavour of our foods including a wide range of herbs and spices that can be used without the problems associated with a high salt intake.

Limit your alcohol intake

Heavy intakes of alcohol can cause short-term and long-term problems. Soon after drinking to excess there is an increased risk of accidents due to loss of judgement, control and reaction time.

If heavy alcohol intake continues over time the toxic effect of alcohol takes its toll. Alcohol damages the liver, causing a disease called cirrhosis. Excess alcohol also raises blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

An average of no more than two standard drinks per day for women and no more than four per day for men is recommended, along with one or two alcohol free days per week.

Refer to ‘Alcohol – The Right Mix’ for more information.

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Consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars

Sugar provides extra kilojoules in the diet without adding any other beneficial nutrients, as well as playing a large role in tooth decay.

A moderate amount of sugar in daily meals is not a problem. In fact, spreading a little jam on wholemeal bread or sprinkling a little sugar on wholegrain breakfast cereal can make these nutritious foods more enjoyable to eat.

Soft drinks, fruits drinks and cordials are a major source of added sugar in our daily diet.

Limit your intake of lollies, sweet biscuits, cakes and pastries.

Breaking the fast

Your body’s energy source, glucose, is broken down from the carbohydrates that you eat. In the morning, after you have gone without food for as long as 12 hours, your glucose levels have dropped. Breakfast literally ‘breaks the fast’, ending the long period without food and replenishes your supply of glucose.

This means that breakfast boosts your energy levels and kick starts your metabolism, along with providing other essential nutrients to keep your energy levels up throughout the day.

Other reasons for eating breakfast:

• Breakfast eaters are more likely to be normal weight compared to non-breakfast eaters.
• Breakfast eaters tend to have better diets overall, making better food choices over the rest of the day.
• Eating breakfast improves alertness, concentration, mental performance and memory.
• Eating breakfast can enhance your mood, and eating high fibre breakfast cereals can help to reduce fatigue.

What to eat

Some healthy breakfast ideas include:

• a bowl of wholegrain cereal with low fat milk and sliced fresh fruit;
• a smoothie made from low fat milk, fresh fruit, yoghurt and honey;
• fresh fruit and yoghurt with some wholegrain toast;
• bircher muesli with a variety of fruits and nuts added;
• pancakes topped with fruit and yoghurt;
• poached or boiled eggs on wholegrain toast with a glass of fruit juice;
• an omelette made with added vegetables such as onion, mushrooms, spinach and tomato;
• wholemeal muffins topped with asparagus, tomato and low fat melted cheese;
• raisin toast spread with ricotta cheese, and a piece of fruit; and
• wholemeal or wholegrain toast with a variety of toppings such as avocado, baked beans, tomatoes, peanut butter, and a piece of fruit.

Handy tips for reading food labels

All packaged foods must carry certain information on the label, including;

• a nutrition information panel;
• an ingredient list; and
• identification of common allergens.

Claims that highlight the nutrients a product contains, such as ‘fat-free’ or ‘high-fibre’ are voluntary, but are quite commonly found on food labels also.

The claims and branding on the front of the products can be quite confusing, so a good habit it get into is checking the nutrition information panel and other details on the back of the pack to give you a more accurate picture of what you are getting

Light what?

Don’t assume that all foods displaying the word ‘light’ are low in fat or kilojoules/calories.

The term ‘light’ or ‘lite’ on a food label may also mean the food is light in salt, light in colour or even light in taste. The characteristic which makes the food ‘light’ must be stated on the label – so take a closer look to see what it really means before putting it in your trolley.  

Nutrition information panels

The nutrition information panel provides information on the amount of energy (kilojoules), protein, total fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars and sodium in the product. The panel may also include information on other nutrients such as fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Nutrition information panels show:

1. the amount of nutrients in an average serving of the product, and
2. the amount of nutrients in 100 grams of the product.

As the serving sizes given will often vary between products, when comparing products, it is most useful to use the per 100 grams column.

The ‘per 100 grams’ column You can use these panels to compare similar products in the supermarket when you are deciding which one to buy.

For example, you can find out which of the two cereal types is higher in fibre, or which of the two yoghurts is lower in fat.

Try to buy the products with the least fat, sugar or salt.  

What to look for:

Healthier products are lower in saturated fat, lower in sodium and higher in fibre. If you are watching your weight, lower kilojoule (energy) options are also a better choice.

 Ingredients list

Ingredients must be listed in descending order of weight. This means that when the food was manufactured, the first ingredient contributed the largest amount and the last ingredients listed contributed the least.

Fats and sugars incognito

Fats and sugars have many disguises – here are some of the other names that they may be listed as in the ingredients list.

Putting it in perspective
• 5g of fat is equal to one teaspoon of fat. Picture a teaspoon of butter. If a food has 30g of fat per serve – that is equivalent to eating six teaspoons of butter.
• 5g of sugar is equal to one teaspoon of sugar. If a can of soft drink has 40g of sugar – that is like eating eight teaspoons of sugar.  

Be active everyday

There is no secret to preventing weight gain. It’s a matter of finding the balance between food intake and physical activity. The best approach is to make permanent changes to both food and activity habits. Increasing physical activity burns off body fat. Aim to be active on most days. At least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity is recommended.

Find an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD)

An APD is a University-qualified professional committed to quality service and the Dietitians Association of Australia’s code of practice. To find an APD in your local area visit www.daa.asn.au

Further information