Australian Dietary Guidelines

Explain why the Australian Dietary Guidelines were developed.
The Australian Dietary Guidelines were developed because many Australians have died from chronic disease due to unhealthy diet. Experts have scientific evidence that switching diets to healthy eating can improve the quality of lives and wellbeing, as well as preventing chronic disease. The guidelines were developed to inform the general public about making healthy food choices.

List the different food groups and give at least 4 examples from each.
The food groups are:
 Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high cereal fibre varieties- Pasta, bread, cereals, quinoa, rice, wheat flakes, rolled oats etc.
 Fruit-Apple, banana, watermelon, kiwi, strawberry etc.
 Vegetables,

However, economic, social and cultural factors can affect the ability of individuals and groups to access nutritious foods. People who are trying to lose weight should not exceed the recommended amount of serves for the Five Food Groups (grains, fruit, vegetables, meat and dairy) and should limit the intake of ‘extra foods’.
Explain the importance of exercise and eating regular meals.
Physical activity or exercise provides a lot of benefits such as to help improve physical wellbeing, strengthens muscles and bones, reduces the risks of developing many lifestyle diseases, improves body image, enhances ability to cope with stress, reduces fatigue, ensures more restful sleep and helps control body weight. When we exercise, we burn off the calories we consumed. A minimum of 30 minutes of moderate physical activity each day is recommended. The intensity of exercise doesn’t have to be vigorous, many people find walking easy and enjoyable.
Eating regular meals is very important for people, especially for children and adolescents, as they help keep a balanced diet and prevent us from snacking on junk food that barely provide any nutrients. Eating regular meals will always help us suffer from

Poor eating habits include under or over eating, not having enough healthy foods that the body needs each day, or consuming too many types of food and drink, which are low in nutrition but high in fat, salt and/or sugar. Unhealthy diet can affect our nutrients intake, including energy, protein, carbohydrates, essential fatty acids, vitamins and minerals as well as fibre and fluid. When our diet becomes unhealthy, it can harm our daily health and wellbeing, it also reduces our ability to have an enjoyable and active life. Some of the short term effects that poor nutrition can contribute to include stress and tiredness which then causes us from being able to work or study. After a while, it can lead to risk of developing some illnesses and other health problems such