Healthy eating

Five Major Food Groups The Australian Healthy Eating Guide groups the foods that should be part of our daily diet into five major food groups: vegetables and legumes or beans, fruits, lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, legumes or beans Grain foods (cereals), mostly whole grain products or high-fiber types of milk, yogurt, cheese or alternatives, mostly low-fat foods, are grouped because they provide quantities of similar key nutrients. The milk, yogurt, cheese, and alternatives group contains calcium and protein, while the fruit group is a good source of vitamins, especially vitamin C. A varied and balanced diet means consuming a large number of foods from each of the five food groups in the recommended amounts every day. Because different foods contain different types and amounts of important nutrients, it is important to choose a variety of foods from each food group. As a bonus, choosing a variety of foods will help keep your meals interesting so you don’t get bored with your diet. Vegetables: daily serving A standard serving of vegetables is around 75 g (100–350 kJ) or: ½ cup cooked vegetables (e.g. broccoli, carrots, spinach or pumpkin) ½ cup cooked, dried beans, peas or lentils or canned (am best without added salt) 1 cup of green leafy vegetables or raw salads ½ cup of sweet corn ½ medium-sized potatoes or other starchy vegetables (such as sweet potatoes)1 medium-sized tomato fruit – daily portion A standard portion of fruit is approx. 150 g (350 kJ) or: 1 medium-sized piece (e.g. apple, banana, orange, pear) 2 small pieces (e.g. apricots, plums, kiwis) 1 cup of diced fruit or Canned fruits (with no added sugar). A standard serving of fruit can only be occasional: 125 ml (½ cup) fruit juice (without added sugar) 30 g dried fruit (e.g. 4 dried apricot halves, 1½ tablespoons sultanas).1 muffin (60 g) 1 muffin or small English muffin (35 g) Lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans – daily serving A standard serving is (500-600 kJ): 65 g cooked lean red meat such as beef, lamb, veal, pork, goat or kangaroo (approx. 90-100 g raw) 80 g cooked poultry such as chicken or turkey (100 g raw) 100 g cooked fish fillet (approx. 115 g gross weight) or 1 small can of fish 2 large eggs (120 g) 1 cup (150 g) boiled, dried or canned legumes/beans such as lentils, chickpeas or peas (preferably without added salt) 170 g of tofu30 g nuts, seeds, peanut or almond butter or tahini or other nut or seed paste (without added salt) *. * Only to be used occasionally as a substitute for other foods from the group of milk, yogurt, cheese, and/or alternatives – the daily ration of milk, yogurt and cheese should be reduced in fat if possible. A standard serving (500-600 kJ) is 1 cup (250 ml) fresh reconstituted milk powder, long-life UHT or buttermilk ½ cup (120 ml) condensed milk 2 slices (40 g) or a cube 4 x 3 x 2 cm (40 g) Hard cheese such as cheddar ½ cup (120 g) ricotta cheese ¾ cup (200 g) yogurt1 cup (250 ml) soy, rice or other grain beverage with at least 100 mg calcium per 100 ml. If you do not eat any of the foods in this group, the following foods contain about as much calcium as a serving of milk, yogurt, Cheese, or alternatives: 100 g almonds with skin 60 g canned sardines in water ½ cup (100 g) canned pink salmon with bone 100 g firm tofu (see label – calcium content may vary) Note that some of them add more kilojoules (energy) contain, especially walnuts.

Check Also

Lipstick will reveal your personality.

Just as lipstick is important to women, this one of the grooming accessories has appeal …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *