A Guide to the 5 Food Groups for Healthy Eating
If you want to be healthy and live a long, energetic life, good food and exercise is essential. According to the National Health and Medical Research Council, you need to have a daily diet consisting of all of the 5 food groups. They would supply you with all of the nutrients that you need and help you get optimum benefit. Here’s all you need to know about those food groups and how they can help maintain your health and well being. At New Body Physiotherapy and Postural Management, we have put together this brief guide that would help you get the best possible nutrients from your daily diet.
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Fruit
Fruit offers a variety of essential nutrients that would keep you healthy. Unfortunately, most Australians seem to be unaware of the fact. They only consume about half of the amount they need. In fact, most of us are under the mistaken assumption that packaged fruit juice would provide all the nutrients of fruit. That’s simply not true.
While fruit juices do provide a certain amount of energy, they don’t provide enough dietary fibre. High amounts of fruit juice will also damage your teeth. You should have about 2 servings of fruit every day. Fruits are known to reduce the risk of cancer and provide essential vitamin and mineral supplements. They would also make you feel fuller so you’ll eat less.
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Grains or Cereal
Again, it would seem that Australians are just not aware of the various advantages of grains, especially high cereal fibre grains. Most of us eat only about half as much as we’re supposed to. The common cereals that we eat are oats, wheat, rice, barley, rye, millet, corn, and quinoa. These grains are prepared in different and interesting ways. There are four main ways they’re prepared. They are:
- Breads
- Grains
- Breakfast cereal
- And other products involving grains like rice cakes, popcorn, flour, noodles, pasta, etc.
You might already be aware that wholegrain is better than refined grain. It contains more fibre, minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. These are essential for people who are on vegetarian diets as they’re a very important source of zinc and iron.
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Lean Meat and Poultry
Meat and poultry are a very essential part of the Australian diet. However, most people don’t realize that men should consume less meat as they age, while children and some women might need to consume a little more. This group doesn’t just contain meat products through. It comprises of lean meat, fish, eggs, poultry, tofu, nuts, seeds, beans, and legumes. This group provides essential nutrients like iron, iodine, vitamins like B12, zinc, and essential fatty acids. You should consume about 1 to 3 servings of this food group every day.
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Dairy including Milk, Yoghurt, and Cheese or Their Vegan Alternatives
Low fat milk and yoghurt are a great source of nutrition. However, if you consume full fat varieties of milk, you’ll consume increased saturated fat and carbohydrates. That’s not good for you. You should stick to low fat varieties of milk and other alternatives. Most people need about 2 to 3 servings of these food items. Women over the age of 51 might need 4 servings.
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Vegetables
We only consume about half of the recommended requirements of vegetables. This food group is rich in a wide variety of nutrients and is good for the heart and keeps weight gain at bay.
If you want to know more about the 5 food groups, you can get in touch with us at New Body Physiotherapy and Postural Management. Just fill in this contact us form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. You can also give us a call at 02 9958 2277.
Best Regards,
Corey Iskenderian
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Avo