The basis of a healthy diet.


The Guidelines will give you the basis of a healthy diet. Use them to build your own food plan, factoring in specific nutritional requirements based on your age and gender. This summary guide to the Australian Dietary Guidelines, and these basic tips, will get you started:

  • Eat a wide variety of foods from the five food groups: 
    • plenty of colourful vegetables, legumes/beans
    • fruit
    • grain (cereal) foods – mostly wholegrain and high fiber varieties
    • lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds
    • milk, yoghurt, cheese or their alternatives, mostly reduced fat. (Reduced fat milks are not suitable for children under the age of two years.)
    • Drink plenty of water.
  • Limit foods high in saturated fat, such as biscuits, cakes, pastries, pies, processed meats, commercial burgers, pizza, fried foods, potato chips, crisps and other savoury snacks. 
  • Replace high fat foods containing mostly saturated fat with foods containing mostly polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Swap butter, cream, cooking margarine, coconut and palm oil with unsaturated fats from oils, spreads, nut butters and pastes, and avocado.
  • Limit foods and drinks containing added salt, and don’t add salt to foods in cooking or at the table.
  • Limit foods and drinks containing added sugars, such as confectionery, sugar-sweetened soft drinks and cordials, fruit drinks, vitamin waters, energy and sports drinks.
  • Limit alcohol. Drink no more than two standard drinks on any day to reduce your risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury over your lifetime, and drink no more than four standard drinks on any occasion. For women who are pregnant or thinking about getting pregnant, or breastfeeding, not drinking alcohol is the safest option.

Together with following the healthy eating guidelines, aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity, such as walking, every day.


Top 10 Foods For Health & Healthy Life.

1. Water

Drink 8 to 12 cups of water daily.

2. Dark Green Vegetables

Eat dark green vegetables at least three to four times a week. Good options include broccoli, peppers, brussels sprouts and leafy greens like kale and spinach.

3. Whole Grains

Eat whole grains sat least two or three times daily. Look for whole wheat flour, rye, oatmeal, barley, amaranth, quinoa or a multigrain. A good source of fiber has 3 to 4 grams of fiber per serving. A great source has 5 or more grams of fiber per serving.

4. Beans and Lentils

Try to eat a bean-based meal at least once a week. Try to add legumes, including beans and lentils, to soups, stews, casseroles, salads and dips or eat them plain.

5. Fish

Try to eat two to three serving of fish a week. A serving consists of 3 to 4 ounces of cooked fish. Good choices are salmon, trout, herring, bluefish, sardines and tuna.

6. Berries

Include two to four servings of fruit in your diet each day. Try to eat berries such as raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries.

7. Winter Squash

Eat butternut and acorn squash as well as other richly pigmented dark orange and green colored vegetables like sweet potato, cantaloupe and mango.

8. Soy

25 grams of soy protein a day is recommended as part of a low-fat diet to help lower cholesterol levels. Try tofu, soy milk, edamame soybeans, tempeh and texturized vegetable protein (TVP).

9. Flaxseed, Nuts and Seeds

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed or other seeds to food each day or include a moderate amount of nuts – 1/4 cup – in your daily diet.

10. Organic Yogurt

Men and women between 19 and 50 years of age need 1000 milligrams of calcium a day and 1200 milligrams if 50 or older. Eat calcium-rich foods such as nonfat or low-fat dairy products three to four times a day. Include organic choices.