Eating Well

Just about everyday we hear or read about what we should or shouldn’t eat. Some of this information is confusing and contradictory. The Dietary Guidelines for Australians, the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and the National Physical Guidelines provide Tasmanians with clear information about how nutritious foods and an active lifestyle can help achieve optimal health throughout life.

Dietary Guidelines

The Dietary Guidelines for Australians are basic principles that provide sensible advice about food and nutrition that people can trust. The Guidelines are based on the best scientific knowledge and public health advice available. They provide recommendations for different stages of life including advice for adults, adolescents and children.

Healthy eating and lifestyle choices are essential for good health and to help reduce the risk of diet-related illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. The Guidelines provide advice about how to make healthy eating and lifestyle choices. No one guideline is more important than the other. Each one is equally important to achieving optimal health throughout life.

Dietary Guidelines for Children & Adolescents

• Encourage and support breastfeeding·
• Children and adolescents need sufficient nutritious foods to grow and develop normally
• Growth should be checked regularly for young children
• Physical activity is important for all children and adolescents
• Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods

Children and adolescents should be encouraged to:

• Eat plenty of vegetables legumes and fruits
• Eat plenty of cereals (including breads, rice, pasta, and noodles), preferable wholegrain
• Include lean meat, fish poultry and/or alternatives
• Include milks yogurts, cheeses/or alternatives. Reduced fat varieties should be chosen, where possible
• Choose water as a drink.

  and care should be taken to:

• Limit saturated fats and moderate total fat intake. Low-fat diets are not suitable for infants.
• Choose foods low in salt
• Consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars
• Care for your child’s food: prepare and store it safely

Dietary Guidelines for Australian Adults

• 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, cheese 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
• Consume only moderate amounts of sugars and foods containing added sugars
• Prevent weight gain: be physically active and eat according to your energy needs
• Care for your food: prepare and store it safely·
• Encourage and support breastfeeding

Dietary Guidelines for Older Australians

Australian Guide to Healthy Eating

Different foods provide us with specific benefits. You can read about this at"Department of Health and Ageing - Australian Guide to Healthy Eating - Some practical ways to include a variety of foods.

To help translate the guidelines into daily food choices (how many serves of vegetables, fruits, etc) read the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating which you can download at Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, Consumer Booklet .

For further information about the Dietary Guidelines visit the Dietary Guidelines for Australians.

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating complements the Dietary Guidelines and provides information about serves and serving sizes. The complete booklet can be downloaded by visiting the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

Physical Activity is important too. Go to the National Physical Activity Guidelines.

Breastfeeding provides the best nutrition in early life. To find out more about breastfeeding visit the website of the Australian Breastfeeding Association.