Healthy eating every day

To stay healthy and to have lots of energy, you need to eat a variety of foods. Every day, you need to eat some foods from the following five groups:

• grains- cereals, breads, pasta, rice, oats
• vegetables and legumes / beans
• fruit
• dairy foods – milk, yoghurt, and cheese
• meats and meat alternatives – beef, lamb, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and legumes / beans.

Check out the plate poster over the next page for examples of food you know in these five food groups. A similar Australian Guide to Healthy Eating and more dietary guidelines are at www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines.

We all need water to stay alive. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty to drink. What’s the best drink? WATER – straight from the tap!

Milk is also a great drink. The calcium in milk keeps your teeth and bones strong. Soft drink, cordial, fruit drinks, vitamin waters, energy drinks and sports drinks all have a lot of sugar. They can increase your risk of weight gain, cause tooth decay and affect the strength of your bones.

If you are very active or play a lot of sport, you will need more water during the day. Keep a bottle of water with you and drink from it regularly. Refill from the tap, and keep in the fridge, ready to go.