Promoting

healthy
eating in
Australia

The role of the government

in promoting healthy eating

Nutrition surveys

Provide a snapshot of what Australians, or

population groups within Australia, are eating at
a particular time.
Nutrition surveys involve a proportion of the
population recording all the foods, drinks and
supplements consumed in a 24-hour period.
Participants record the items and serving sizes
consumed.
Intake is analysed for a range of nutrients,
including carbohydrates, protein, fat and
vitamins and minerals

Kids eat, Kids play survey

Kids Eat, Kids Play is a national nutrition and

physical activity survey of Australian children.
Conducted by the CSIRO, the survey provides
information about the dietary intake and body
measurements of children aged 216 and
physical activity patterns of those aged 516.

National Nutrition and

Physical Activity Survey
Program
As nutrition becomes an increasingly important
focus for policy makers and health
organisations, up-to-date information on
nutrition, physical activity and physical
measurements is needed. To provide this
information, the Australian Government has
introduced an ongoing National Nutrition and
Physical ActivitySurvey Program.

Activities

Complete case study Soft-drink, burger and

chips- the diet of our youth
Complete test your knowledge questions 1-3 on
page 284.

The Australian Dietary

Guidelines
The Dietary Guidelines were developed by the
National Health and Medical Research Council
(NHMRC), a federal government body, and were
reviewed and updated in 2013.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines and the
Australian Guide to Healthy Eating underwent
significant review with the new frameworks
released at the start of 2013.

The Australian Dietary

Guidelines
The Australian Dietary Guidelines now provide a
much more comprehensive approach to
promoting healthy eating. This has replaced the
detail previously provided by the Australian
Guide to Healthy Eating, which is now a visual
representation of the proportions of each food
group that should be consumed as addressed in
detail in the Dietary Guidelines.
Unlike the previous editions, the Australian
Guide to Healthy Eating is now incorporated
into the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

Why the Guidelines?

The Australian population has experienced an

increase in diet-related conditions and diseases,
and the guidelines are designed to address the
causes of the increase. Eating too many energydense processed foods and not enough fruit and
vegetables are two examples of trends that are
designed to be addressed within the guidelines.

Guideline 1

To achieve and maintain a healthy weight, be

physically active and choose amounts of nutritious
food and drinks to meet your energy needs.
Children and adolescents should eat sufficient
nutritious foods to grow and develop normally.
They should be physically active every day and
their growth should be checked regularly.
Older people should eat nutritious foods and
keep physically active to help maintain muscle
strength and a healthy weight.

Guideline 2

Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from

these five groups every day:
Plenty of vegetables, including different types
and colours, and legumes/beans
Fruit
Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or
high cereal fibre varieties, such as breads,
cereals, rice, pasta, noodles, polenta, couscous,
oats, quinoa and barley

Guideline 2 cont.

Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts

and seeds, and legumes/beans
Milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or their alternatives,
mostly reduced fat (reduced fat milks are not
suitable for children under the age of 2 years)
And drink plenty of water

Guideline 3

Limit intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt,

added sugars and alcohol.
a. Limit intake of foods high in saturated fat such as
many biscuits, cakes, pastries, pies, processed meats,
commercial burgers, pizza, fried foods, potato chips,
crisps and other savoury snacks.
Replace high fat foods which contain predominantly
saturated fats such as butter, cream, cooking margarine,
coconut and palm oil with foods which contain
predominantly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats
such as oils, spreads, nut butters/pastes and avocado.
Low fat diets are not suitable for children under the age of 2
years.

Guideline 3 cont.
b. Limit intake of foods and drinks containing
added salt.
Read labels to choose lower sodium options
among similar foods.
Do not add salt to foods in cooking or at the
table.
c. Limit intake of foods and drinks containing
added sugars such as confectionery, sugarsweetened soft drinks and cordials, fruit drinks,
vitamin waters, energy and sports drinks.
d. If you choose to drink alcohol, limit intake. For
women who are pregnant, planning a pregnancy or
breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is the safest
option.

Guideline 4

Encourage, support and promote breastfeeding.

Guideline 5

Care for your food; prepare and store it safely.

The Australian Guide to

Healthy Eating

Activities

Complete case study Bretts food intake:

applying the Australian Dietary Guidelines on
page 293.

The role of nongovernment agencies in

providing dietary advice
Non-government agencies or organisations (also
known as NGOs) play an important role in
promoting healthy eating. These organisations
may have a specific focus (such as
cardiovascular health) or may focus on nutrition
in general. Two such organisations are Nutrition
Australia and the Heart Foundation.

Nutrition Australia
Nutrition Australia is Australias major community
education nutrition body. Established in 1979,
Nutrition Australia is represented by a wide range
of members from the community and has offices in
every Australian state and territory. The focus of
Nutrition Australia is to promote healthy eating and
adequate physical activity

Healthy Eating Pyramid

The Heart Foundation

The Heart Foundation is a charitable organisation

that works to inform the Australian public and
health professionals about matters regarding
heart health. Their aim is to reduce suffering and
death from heart, stroke and blood vessel disease
in Australia.

Activities

Complete test your knowledge questions 1 and

2, and apply your knowledge 3 and 5 on page
299.
Complete chapter 7 test 1