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Healthy eating is so much more than the foods and nutrients we eat. It is about discovering and enjoying foods that bring you joy with friends, family or your community, and foods that connect you to culture and the land you live on...

Healthy eating is about establishing dietary patterns that support good health, over weeks, months and years. It is about trying to have healthy relationships with food and enjoying delicious flavours and textures, not following restrictive diets and feeling deprived.

 

What is a 'heathy diet'?

A healthy diet is not a strict ‘diet’ but a term used to encompass foods that help prevent malnutrition and non-communicable diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. A healthy diet is also needed to meet our nutritional needs, this means a healthy diet provides our bodies with all the macro and micronutrients in the right amounts to maintain or improve our health and help prevent or manage chronic diseases. The term ‘macronutrient’ refers to the three major energy sources that make up food - fat, protein, and carbohydrate. While micronutrients are the vitamins and minerals needed for our bodies to function properly.

 

A healthy diet is one that includes a variety of foods from all five food groups—meat and alternatives, milk and alternatives, fruits, vegetables, and wholegrains and cereals, all while trying to minimise processing.

 

Key food groups to support good health

Meat and alternatives include high protein foods, including are meat, chicken, fish, eggs, nuts, nut spreads, seeds, legumes, and tofu. Protein is needed for the body to build and repair muscle. To find out more about protein, read here.

 

Milk, yoghurt, cheese, and alternatives such as calcium fortified plant-based milks provide calcium which is needed strong bones and teeth, can be a significant source of protein and vitamins and minerals. To find out more about calcium, read here.

 

Fruits and vegetables are the main source of vitamins needed for the body to function appropriately. Given that many of the bright colours in fruit and vegetables are other health promoting compounds, it's important to try and eat a wide variety of coloured fruits and vegetables every day. Fruits and vegetable also provide fibre, which is essential for healthy gut microbiome, healthy bowel function and helps us to feel fuller for longer. Fibre also plays a significant role in chronic disease prevention, by improving both cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Read more about gut health here.

 

Grains and cereals, including wholegrains breads and cereals provide an abundance of nutrition, including vitamins, fibre, and carbohydrates. White breads, pastas and rices have had the outer layer (bran) of the grains removed during processing. This removes most of the vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre. Choosing wholegrains and unrefined sources carbohydrates ensures you're maximising your micronutrient intake. 

 

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