I'm glad you have asked this question. Just recently the National Health and Medical Research Council has Australian Dietary Guidelines and have bought out updated draft Australian Guide to Healthy Eating guide.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines stipulate that the achieve good health its recommended to eat a wide variety of nutritious foods every day. This includes:
- Plenty of vegetables, including different types and colours, and legumes/beans
- Fruit
- Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain, such as breads, cereals, rice, pasta, oats, quinoa, noodles, couscous, polenta and barley
- Lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans
- Milk, yoghurt, cheese, and/or their alternatives, mostly reduced fat
- And drink water
In terms of portion sizes and how many serves from each food group you need to achieve good health, refer to the Australian Guide to Health Eating. For
men aged 19-50 aim for
5 serves of vegetables and legumes/beans (one serve = 75g or 1 cup salad, 1/2 cup cooked veg);
2 serves of fruit (e.g. one serve = one medium piece or 150g);
6 serves of grain (cereal) foods, preferably wholegrain (e.g. one serve = 1 slice of bread or 2/3 cup breakfast cereal);
3 serves of lean meat and poultry etc (one serve = 65g cooked lean meat or 2 large eggs or 80g cooked poultry);
2 1/2 serves of dairy (e.g. one serve = 1 cup of milk or 200g yoghurt).
For men aged 51-70 aim for 5 1/2 vegetables; 2 fruit; 6 grain (cereal) foods; 2 1/2 lean meat; 2 1/2 dairy.
For men aged 70+ aim for 5 vegetables; 2 fruit; 4 1/2 grain (cereal) foods; 2 1/2 lean meat; 3 1/2 dairy.
These recommended guidelines provide the nutrients and energy needed by all men of average height who have sedentary to moderate physcial activity levels. Additional portions of the 5 food groups may be needed for people who are taller or more active to meet additional energy requirements.
For more advice on how to achieve a nutritious diet, seek the advice and guideance from an Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD).
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