Achieving an adequate diet
What is an adequate diet?
For good health, a constant daily intake of nutritious food is necessary. The Dietary Guidelines of Australia recommend that we consume a variety of food from each of the following food groups every day:
- vegetables, legumes and fruits;
- cereals (including breads, rice, pasta and noodles), preferably wholegrain;
- lean meat, fish, poultry or alternatives;
- milks, yoghurts, cheeses or alternatives; and
- water.
The less we eat the more important it becomes to have a wide variety of healthy food in the diet.
What are the symptoms of an inadequate diet?
Tiredness, lack of energy, irritability, difficulty in concentrating and excessively dry skin are all symptoms that may be caused by an inadequate diet. People who restrict their food intake because they are busy or are attempting to lose weight run the risk of becoming deficient in essential vitamins and minerals.
What foods and drinks should we avoid?
Alcohol and foods that contain saturated fat (such as biscuits, cakes, chips and take-away food) and high levels of sugar (for example, canned soft drinks) should be the first things to limit in your diet. It is also important to limit your salt intake. Try limiting how often you eat take-away foods, salty snacks and processed meats, which often contain high levels of salt and offer less nourishment than other foods such as cheeses and breads that also contain salt.
Sources of iron and calcium
Many people do not have an adequate amount of iron in their diet. Red meat is a rich source of iron, but if meat is not included in the diet, a special effort should be made to eat plenty of wholegrain cereals and dark green leafy vegetables and legumes (dried peas, beans and lentils).
It is difficult to achieve the recommended intake of calcium if milk, yoghurt or cheese are not eaten daily. Other good sources of calcium are canned fish with edible bones (for example, salmon), calcium-enriched soy products and tahini.
Why raw foods are good for the diet
Several nutrients including folic acid, beta carotene, thiamine (vitamin B1) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) are widely distributed in food but are easily destroyed by heating. Some raw foods need to be eaten regularly to meet the requirements for these nutrients.
Last Reviewed: 14 October 2009
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2. Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Health eating. [Wesbite]. http://www.health.gov.au/internet/healthyactive/publishing.nsf/content/eating (accessed July 2010).
3. National Health and Medical Research Council. Dietary guidelines for Australians. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2003. Available from: http://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/file/publications/synopses/n33.pdf (accessed July 2010).
4. Merck Manual of Health and Aging. Undernutrition. [Website]. Aug 2007. http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual_ha/sec3/ch17/ch17b.html (accessed July 2010).
