bookmarkCategory: Healthy basics

What should I eat? 

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 or oats
• vegetables and legumes/beans
• fruit
• dairy foods and/or plant-based alternatives – milk, yoghurt and cheese
• meats and meat alternatives – beef, lamb, pork, chicken, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts, seeds and legumes/beans

The Australian dietary guidelines (the guidelines) provide up-to-date advice about the amount and kinds of foods that we need to eat for health and wellbeing. The recommendations are based on scientific evidence, developed after looking at good quality research. Visit the Eat for Health website for details.

What about drinks? 

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! 

Fruit juice is ok occasionally, but water is the healthiest and cheapest drink.

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.

Helpful resources