

This food group provides essential calcium and vitamin D. If you use canned products, try reduced-sodium vegetables and “no sugar added” fruits. Use whole fruit instead of juice to boost fiber intake. To make it easier, keep your freezer stocked for convenience. Most people have to make an effort to get the recommended amounts. Fruits and non-starchy vegetablesīoost your nutrition and feeling of fullness by rounding out meals and snacks with fresh vegetables and fruits. We include starchy vegetables like potatoes in this group because they are similar to cooked grains in their macronutrient and calorie content. To identify whole grains, read the ingredient list. Whole grains and starchy vegetablesĬhoose whole grains rather than refined grains for greater nutrition and satisfaction from breads, cereals and cooked grains like pasta, rice and oatmeal. You’re probably familiar with the first five, but the last group may surprise you.ĭownload our Food Group Choices Chart for a handy list of nutritious foods in each group. For example a serve of bread is 1 slice, not 2 which you would use to make a sandwich.Each of the food groups below has an important place in your diet every day. The serve sizes used in the Australian Dietary Guidelines are not necessarily as big as the portion you may put on a plate or in a bowl. Grain foods, especially wholegrain, are an ideal choice for extra energy needs and should be consumed in preference to discretionary food and alternate drink choices.


Minimum recommended average daily number of serves from each of the five food groupsĪdditional serves of grains can be added depending on individual energy needs, these are provided in the tables above. Follow the links below to find out how many serves you need to eat per day. Source: How much should I eat from the grain ( cereal ) group?Ĭonsuming at least 4-6 serves of grain (cereal) foods per day is recommended for Australian adults, while the amount recommended for children and adolescents depends on their age and sex.

These types of grain foods are not recommended as they are considered a discretionary food choice because of their relatively large amounts of added fats and added sugars and/or added salt. Refined grains, such as white flour are nearly always used in processed foods, such as cakes and biscuits. More importantly, the phytochemicals (which are linked to significant health benefits) which have been removed in refined grains cannot be added back.
Five key food groups full#
Some fibre and vitamins and minerals can be added back (such as in white bread) but these are not necessarily grain derived and the full benefit may be lost. In doing this most of the fibre and many of the vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals are lost. Refined grains (for example, white flour), have had the bran and germ layers removed. Source: What exactly is a refined grain cereal?
Five key food groups plus#
