A healthy diet can improve your mood, and increase your energy. It is is essential for good health and nutrition.

The basis of a healthy diet

The Guidelines will give you the basis of a healthy diet. Use them to build your own food plan, factoring in specific nutritional requirements based on your age and gender.

• Eat a wide variety of foods from the five food groups: 
  • plenty of colourful vegetables, legumes/beans
  • fruit
  • grain (cereal) foods – mostly wholegrain and high fibre varieties
  • lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds
  • milk, yoghurt, cheese or their alternatives, mostly reduced fat. (Reduced fat milks are not suitable for children under the age of two years.)
  • Drink plenty of water.
• Limit foods high in saturated fat, such as biscuits, cakes, pastries, pies, processed meats, commercial burgers, pizza, fried foods, potato chips, crisps and other savoury snacks. 
• Replace high fat foods containing mostly saturated fat with foods containing mostly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Swap butter, cream, cooking margarine, coconut and palm oil with unsaturated fats from oils, spreads, nut butters and pastes, and avocado.
• Limit foods and drinks containing added salt, and don’t add salt to foods in cooking or at the table.
• Limit foods and drinks containing added sugars, such as confectionery, sugar-sweetened soft drinks and cordials, fruit drinks, vitamin waters, energy and sports drinks.
• Limit alcohol. Drink no more than two standard drinks on any day to reduce your risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury over your lifetime, and drink no more than four standard drinks on any occasion. For women who are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant, or breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is the safest option.

Together with following the healthy eating guidelines, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity, such as walking, every day.

Fruit and vegetables (and legumes)

Fruit, vegetables and legumes all provide vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and nutrients. Most are low in calories and can help you to feel full longer.

Legumes are also made up of protein, so they’re a useful substitute for meat. Choose from split peas, kidney beans, baked beans (navy beans), soybeans, chickpeas, lupin, and lentils, among others.  

Eating lots of colourful choices from this food group will give your body different nutrients. It can also protect against chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers.

The following guide will help you work out your daily requirements.

Vegetables – how much to put on your plate each day:

• younger children – 2.5 serves for 2–3 year olds and 4.5 serves for 4–8 year olds
• older children – 5 to 5.5 serves for older children and adolescents
• adults and pregnant women – 5–6 serves 
• breastfeeding mums – 7+ serves. 
• standard serve is about 75 grams (100–350 kilojoules); for example, ½ cup cooked green or orange vegetables (such as broccoli or carrots) or 1 cup green leafy or raw salad vegetables.

Fruit – how much to put on your plate each day:

• younger children – 1 serve for 2–3 year olds and 1.5 serves for 4–8 year olds
• older children, adolescents and adults, including pregnant and breastfeeding women – at least 2 serves.

A standard serve is 150 grams (350 kilojoules); for example, a medium apple or banana, or two kiwifruits or plums. Try to eat whole fruit and not fruit juice.

Grains

Wholemeal or whole grain foods, such as wholemeal and wholegrain bread, brown rice, quinoa and oats, are better for you than refined grain (cereal) foods because they provide more dietary fibre, vitamins and minerals. Whole grains may protect against heart disease, type 2 diabetes, excessive weight gain, and some cancers. 

Grain (cereal) foods that are high in saturated fats, added sugars and added salt, like cakes, muffins, pies, pastries and biscuits, are ‘extras’ or ‘sometimes foods’ in this food group. 

• younger children – 4 serves 
• older children and adolescents – 7 serves 
• women – 3 serves for those over the age of 70; 6 serves for women less than 50 years of age; 8.5 serves for pregnant and breastfeeding women
• men – 4.5 serves for those over the age of 70 years; 6 serves for younger men.

A standard serve is 500 kilojoules; for example, one slice of bread or ½ cup cooked porridge. At least two-thirds of choices should be wholegrain varieties.

Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, legumes/beans

Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans are all rich sources of protein. Eating a variety of these foods each day will provide the protein you need, as well as a range of other nutrients, including iodine, iron, zinc, vitamins (especially B12), and essential fatty acids.

The Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend that you eat one to three serves of food from this group each day, depending on your age. If you are pregnant, three to four serves a day are recommended. 

• Children – 1 to 2.5 serves, depending on age 
• Men – 2.5 to 3 serves, depending on age
• Women – 2 to 2.5 serves, depending on age 
• Pregnant women – 3.5 serves
• Breastfeeding women – 2.5 serves

A standard serve is 500–600 kilojoules; for example, 80 g cooked lean poultry (100 g raw), 100 g cooked fish fillet (about 115 g raw), 65 g cooked lean red meat (about 90 – 100 g raw), two large eggs (60 g each), 170 g tofu, 30 g nuts or seeds, or 150 g cooked legumes.

Dairy

Milk, yoghurt and cheese are rich sources of calcium and other minerals, protein, and vitamins. They can protect against heart disease and stroke, and reduce the risk of high blood pressure, some cancers, and type 2 diabetes. Dairy is also good for bone health. 

Choose varieties low in saturated fat and added sugar. 

If you prefer to avoid dairy, go for alternatives with added calcium, such as calcium-enriched soy or rice drinks. Make sure they contain at least 100 milligrams of calcium per 100 millilitres.

• Children – 1.5 to 3.5 serves, depending on age 
• Men – 2.5 to 3.5 serves, depending on age 
• Women – 2.5 to 4 serves, depending on age
• Pregnant women – 2.5 serves
• Breastfeeding women – 2.5 serves

A standard serve is 500–600 kilojoules; for example, a cup of milk or ¾ cup yoghurt.

‘Extras’ or ‘sometimes foods’

Some foods are known as ‘discretionary foods’, ‘extras’ or ‘sometimes foods’ because they should only be consumed sometimes – they’re not a regular part of a healthy diet. Extras are higher in kilojoules, added sugar, saturated fat, and added salt, such as commercial burgers, pizza, alcohol, lollies, cakes and biscuits, fried foods, and fruit juices and cordials. For more information visit ‘Food to have sometimes’.

More about how much to eat

Information about exact servings and other examples can be found at Eat for Health.

Timing your food intake

When you eat also plays a part in a healthy diet. The biggest food timing tip is eat breakfast. Breakfast literally means ‘to break the fast’ from your last meal at night to your first meal of the following day. 

Breakfast skippers are more likely to be tempted by unhealthy choices later in the day and to eat bigger servings at their next meal. Children who skip breakfast generally have poorer nutrition and poorer performance at school. 

Other food timing tips are:

• Eat regularly: Eating regular meals at set times helps you to get all the servings from the five food groups. Aim for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and two snacks.
• Listen to your body: Follow your body’s hunger and satiety signals (eat when you’re hungry and stop when – or before – you’re full).
• Stop to eat: Take your time when you dine, and turn off the TV or computer. Notice your food, and your body’s signals.
• Avoid eating dinner late at night: This gives your body time to digest and use the energy from your meal. Try a small glass of milk or a cup of decaffeinated or herbal tea if you need a late-night snack.
• Eat larger at lunch and smaller at dinner: The body digests best at peak energy times, which occur from around noon until 3 pm. If you can’t handle a bigger lunch, try splitting it into two smaller meals and eating one at noon and the other mid-afternoon. Eating dinner an hour earlier also aids evening digestion.
• Eat about 45 minutes after exercise: This will reduce the amount of energy being stored as fat because the body will use it to replenish low glycogen stores.

Carbohydrates and glycaemic index

Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred energy source. They are found in many foods, such as breads, breakfast cereal, rice, pasta, noodles, fruit, potato and starchy vegetables, corn, dried beans and lentils, sugar, milk and yoghurt. Eating a carb at every meal fuels the body throughout the day.

Include a variety of good-quality carbs, such as fresh, canned or dried fruit; rice, bread, quinoa and pasta (preferably whole grain or high fibre varieties); and legumes in your healthy diet. 

Carbohydrate-containing foods are rated on a scale called the glycaemic index (GI). This rating (between zero and 100) is related to how quickly their carbohydrate content is digested and absorbed into the bloodstream, and the effect it has on blood glucose levels .

Low GI foods (GI less than 55) absorb into the bloodstream slowly and give sustained energy throughout the day. Examples include wholegrain bread, pasta, oats, apples, apricots, oranges, yoghurt, milk, dried beans and lentils. 

High GI foods (55 or more on the GI scale) are quickly digested and absorbed into the bloodstream. Examples of high GI foods are white and wholemeal bread, processed cereals, short grain rice, potatoes, crackers, watermelon.

It’s ok to include both high and low GI foods in your diet, but tending towards the lower end of the GI scale in your food choices is shown to improve health.

Vitamin Deficiency Can Lead To Severe Diseases

Scurvy

The first disease to be directly linked to a vitamin deficiency was scurvy. Scurvy is characterized by general malaise and lethargy, progressing on to spotty skin, losing teeth, and bleeding and swollen gums. Slow wound healing and general weakness is also a regular symptom. If left untreated scurvy can be fatal.

In 1753 the Scottish Surgeon, James Lind postulated in his Treatise on the Scurvy that lemons and limes, a key source of vitamin C, may be used to prevent scurvy. His recommendation was proven as fact in 1932. Today, vitamin C is used to correct the deficiency leading to scurvy worldwide.Vitamin C

Rickets

Vitamin D deficiency is often associated with rickets, a disease that causes the softening of bones in children usually resulting in fractures and deformities. This is due to the fact that vitamin D plays a key role in calcium absorption and the building of strong, healthy bones.

Rickets is not a common disease in the U.S. however, poor exposure to vitamin D can always cause it. Children of 6 months to two years of age are more prone to this disease if they are only breastfed by their mothers. It is recommended that such children are exposed to UVB rays, or that fortified milk is included in their routine diet.

The American Academy of Pediatrics goes further to suggest that breastfed babies should be given vitamin D supplements (try this product) to prevent a vitamin deficiency.Vitamin D

Beriberi

Beriberi is a condition in which a person has a severe deficiency in vitamin B1. It is characterized by nerve, heart, and brain abnormalities. An alcoholic binge can worsen the brain abnormalities in a person with chronic vitamin B1 deficiency.

Beriberi symptoms include numbness and tingling in hands and feet, memory loss, problems with breathing, possible paralysis, problems with speaking, confusion, and depression.

Beriberi needs quick attention and if not treated with an adequate supply of vitamin B1, it can lead to dementia and even death.Vitamin B1

Pellagra

Pellagra is a vitamin deficiency disorder in which dark red patches occur on face, neck, hands, calves, and feet. The person who has developed Pellagra is also likely to suffer from constipation, diarrhoea, nausea or vomiting. In this condition, the mouth and tongue get red, swollen and develop sores.

This disease can be caused by malnutrition or an over-dependence on a particular type of food or drink, such as maize or wine. Among the leading causes, acute deficiency of vitamin B3 or Niacin is the most prominent.Vitamin B3

Symptoms of Vitamin A Deficiency

The symptoms of vitamin A deficiency include:

• Dry and rough skin.
• Growth and development can be halted in children.
• Eye inflammation affects the eyelids, surrounding tissues, and even eyes.
• Respiratory infection and urinary infection occurs in children as well as in adults.
• Dry Eyes results in xerophthalmia, which is a risky form of night blindness where the eye’s outer membrane, conjunctiva leaves it’s goblet cells that help in performing the release of mucus in the eye by keeping it lubricated.
• Reduced or less vision in the dim light at the night. Patients with Vitamin A deficiency will not be able to differentiate the outlines of images available in reduced illumination. They have good vision at day time till the night blindness reaches to high form.
• The loss of goblet cells can seriously lead to xerophthalmia where the eye stops developing tears as they become dead cells. These can be collected from the outer layer of the eye and it seems like a form of debris which leads to blindness and other infections.

Vitamin A is an important vitamin that plays a major role in our vision. It helps in the production of certain pigments that are important for the proper functioning of the retina. Listed below some of the sources of Vitamin A that can be included in our daily diet.

• Nuts.
• Eggs.
• Fish.
• Liver.
• Beet Greens.
• Fortified Margarine.
• Green leafy vegetables.
• Dairy products (cheese, milk, butter)
• Green and ripe yellow colored fruits (mangoes, banana, watermelon, etc.)
• Dark and yellow colored vegetables (Carrots, Pumpkin, Sweet Potatoes,etc.)

Symptoms of Vitamin B Deficiency

• Skin pallor and yellowing of Skin
• Extreme weakness and fatigue
• Sensations of pins and needles due to nerve damage
• Glossitis and mouth ulcers
• Breathlessness and dizziness
• Mood changes: depression, psychosis and irritability
• Some loss in sense of touch, walking and vision problems
• Symptoms of dementia
• Loss of appetite and weight loss

B vitamins: Niacin (B3) found in Foods that offer the highest niacin content include liver, chicken, veal, peanuts, chili powder, bacon and sun dried tomatoes. Other niacin-rich foods include baker’s yeast, paprika, espresso coffee, anchovies, spirulina, duck, shiitake mushrooms and soy sauce.Vitamin B

Vitamin E deficiency

fragility of red blood cells and degeneration of neurons, particularly peripheral axons and posterior column neurons. Vitamin E is a group of compounds (including tocopherols and tocotrienols) that have similar biologic activities.Vitamin E

Vitamin E is found in:

Wheat Germ Oil — 135% DV per serving

1 tablespoon: 20 mg (135% DV)

100 grams: 149 mg (996% DV)

Sunflower Seeds — 66% DV per serving

1 ounce: 10 mg (66% DV)

100 grams: 35 mg (234% DV)

Almonds — 48% DV per serving

1 ounce: 7.3 mg (48% DV)

100 grams: 26 mg (171% DV)

Hazelnut Oil — 43% DV per serving

1 tablespoon: 6.4 mg (43% DV)

100 grams: 47 mg (315% DV)

Mamey Sapote — 39% DV per serving

Half a fruit: 5.9 mg (39% DV)

100 grams: 2.1 mg (14% DV)

Sunflower Oil — 37% DV per serving

1 tablespoon: 5.6 mg (37% DV)

100 grams: 41 mg (274% DV)

Almond Oil — 36% DV per serving

1 tablespoon: 5.3 mg (36% DV)

100 grams: 39 mg (261% DV)

Hazelnuts — 28% DV per serving

1 ounce: 4.3 mg (28% DV)

100 grams: 15 mg (100% DV)

.Abalone — 23% DV per serving

3 ounces: 3.4 mg (23% DV)

100 grams: 4.0 mg (27% DV)

Pine Nuts — 18% DV per serving

Vitamin K deficiency

Adults are at an increased risk of vitamin K deficiency and the associated symptoms if they:

• take blood thinners, or anticoagulants, which prevent blood clots but inhibit vitamin K activation
• take antibiotics that interfere with vitamin K production and absorption
• do not get enough vitamin K from the foods they eat
• take extremely high doses of vitamin A or E

Some medical conditions can make vitamin K deficiency more likely to develop, such as conditions where the body is less able to absorb fat. This is known as fat malabsorption.

Conditions associated with fat malabsorption include:

• celiac disease
• cystic fibrosis
• an intestinal or biliary tract (liver, gallbladder, and bile ducts) disorder
• having had part of the intestine removed, such as during bariatric surgery

There are several reasons why newborn babies are more prone to vitamin K deficiency:

• breast milk is low in vitamin K
• vitamin K does not transfer well from the placenta to the baby
• a newborn’s liver is unable to use vitamin K efficiently
• a newborn’s gut cannot produce vitamin K2 in the first few days of life

The ODSTrusted Source recommend that adults get the following amounts of vitamin K each day:

• 120 micrograms (mcg) for males
• 90 mcg for females

Foods that are high in vitamin K include:

• green leafy vegetables, including spinach, kale, lettuce, and broccoli
• vegetable oils
• some fruits, such as blueberries and figs
• meat, including liver
• cheese
• eggs
• chickpeas
• soybeans
• green tea

People can also take vitamin K supplements. It is best to talk to a doctor before taking these as they could interfere with existing medications.Vitamin K

Feel free to contact us to find which supplement’s are best for you.

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