Eat well

What do the experts say?

The Infant Feeding Guidelines and the Australian Dietary Guidelines provide up-to-date advice about the amount and kinds of food we need to eat for health and wellbeing. They are based on the latest scientific evidence. The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (pictured right), shows the proportion of the five food groups to aim for every day, and also shows which foods to eat only sometimes or in small amounts.

There are many health benefits of eating well, including:

Improved health and wellbeing
Reduced risk of diet-related conditions, such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and constipation
Reduced risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some types of cancers.

Very few Tasmanians eat in the way shown by the Australian Guide to Health Eating:

In Tasmania, only 4 out of 10 adults¹ and 7 out of 10 children² eat the recommended amount of two serves of fruit each day
In Tasmania, less than 1 out of 10 adults³ and children⁴ eat the recommended five serves of vegetables each day
Australian adults and children get over one third of their daily energy intake from foods and drinks that should only be eaten sometimes or in small amounts such as deep fried foods, chocolate, biscuits, cakes, pastries and sweet drinks.⁵

Further, only 4 out of 10 Tasmanian babies are exclusively breastfed at 4 months.⁶

image source: National Health and Medical Research Council

¹Tasmanian Population Health Survey 2016

² Australian Bureau of Statistics (2015). National Health Survey 2014 - 2015.

³Tasmanian Population Health Survey 2016

⁴ Australian Bureau of Statistics (2015). National Health Survey 2014 - 2015.

⁵ Australian Health Survey: Nutrition First Results – Food and Nutrients, 2011-12 – Australia Table 9.1

⁶Breastfeeding Rates

How can I eat better?

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Generally, to improve what we eat we need to⁷:

*Eat more:*	*Eat less:*
Vegetables and legumes/beans Fruits Wholegrain breads and cereals Reduced fat milk, yoghurt, cheese Fish, seafood, poultry, eggs, legumes/beans (including soy), and nuts and seeds Red meat (young females only)	Foods high in saturated fat, added sugar, added salt, such as chocolate, confectionary, crisps, hot chips, ice creams, fried foods and some cakes, biscuits and pastry items Refined cereals, which are foods that have been made with refined grains (for example, white flour, where the bran and germ layers have been removed). They include products made from white flour, such as white breads and pasta. Full fat dairy foods Red meats (adult males only)

Eat more:

Eat less:

Vegetables and legumes/beans
Fruits
Wholegrain breads and cereals
Reduced fat milk, yoghurt, cheese
Fish, seafood, poultry, eggs, legumes/beans (including soy), and nuts and seeds
Red meat (young females only)

Foods high in saturated fat, added sugar, added salt, such as chocolate, confectionary, crisps, hot chips, ice creams, fried foods and some cakes, biscuits and pastry items
Refined cereals, which are foods that have been made with refined grains (for example, white flour, where the bran and germ layers have been removed). They include products made from white flour, such as white breads and pasta.
Full fat dairy foods
Red meats (adult males only)

*Drink more:*	*Drink less:*
Water	Alcohol Sweet drinks (cordial, soft drinks, energy drinks, juice)

For personalised advice on how to eat well, talk to your GP, an Accredited Practising Dietitian or your local community health service centre.

What’s available to help me eat well?

Below we’ve gathered information from credible organisations to help you, your family and community eat well.

^{7 https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/about-australian-dietary-guidelines}

For everyone

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Australian Dietary Guidelines 1-5

the main recommendations for eating well

Breadcrumbs

What do the experts say?

How can I eat better?

For everyone

Food allergies

Food safety

Health conditions

Recipes

For parents and carers

For adults and older adults

Apps

For Aboriginal people

For people from culturally and linguistically diverse communities

For communities

For workplaces

For early childhood services and schools

For health and community workers

Advocacy

Clinical practice guidelines

Policies, frameworks and strategic plans