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Healthy eating and regular physical activity will help you to live a happier, healthier lifestyle.1 Healthy eating is all about balance, variety, moderation and enjoyment.

Eating a well balanced diet:

  • Provides nutrients for growth, good health and wellbeing
  • Helps you to achieve and maintain a healthy weight
  • Helps to prevent chronic diseases (Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer)
  • Provides energy for breathing, thinking, maintaining body temperature and being active
  • Boosts your immune system
  • Assists in fighting off illnesses.

Ingredients of a Healthy Diet

Healthy eating means selecting a wide variety of foods from the five food groups everyday.

The five food groups are:

  • Breads, cereals, rice, pasta and noodles
  • Vegetables and legumes
  • Fruit
  • Milk, yoghurt and cheese
  • Lean meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts and legumes.

Click here to view the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating

What is a Healthy Diet?

  • Eat plenty of plant foods (breads, cereals, rice, pasta and noodles, vegetables, legumes and fruits)
  • Eat moderate amounts of animal foods (milk, yogurt, cheese, lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs and nuts)
  • Eat small amounts of the extra foods, including margarine and oils
  • Choose different types of foods from within each of the five food groups
  • Drink plenty of water. 2

Go for 2&5®

You probably already know that eating fruit and vegetables are good for you. The recommendation for adults is 2 serves of fruit and 5 serves of vegetables each day.  Eating a mixture of different coloured fruit and vegetables provides you with variety of different vitamins and minerals.

 What is one serve?

serve of fruit
serve of vegetables
 

Tips to Go for 2&5®

  • Look for specials at your local fruit and veg shop or supermarket
  • Try to buy fruit and vegetables when they are in season, they’re not only cheaper but also taste better
  • Use a mixture of frozen, fresh and canned fruit and vegetables
  • Look for ‘reduced’ or ‘no added’ fat, salt and sugar brands of frozen or canned fruit and vegetables.
  • Vegetables
  • Top toast with cooked mushrooms, tomatoes, capsicum
  • Top English muffins or crumpets with diced vegetables and sprinkle with reduced fat cheese for a quick mini pizza snack
  • Snack on vegie sticks- carrot, celery sticks, florets of broccoli and cauliflower, and strips of capsicum
  • Add extra salad vegies to your sandwich, wrap or burger
  • Add extra vegies to stir-fries, curries, pies, rice dishes, pizzas
  • Add grated vegetables or legumes to spaghetti bolognese, lasagne and meat patties
  • Always serve main meals with cooked vegetables or a salad. Try to aim for half the plate.
  • Fruit
  • Add chopped fruit to breakfast cereal
  • Add grated apple or berries into pancake mix
  • Blend soft fruit (bananas, berries or canned fruit) with skim milk and yoghurt for a fruit smoothie
  • Freeze bananas, grapes and orange for an icy snack
  • Add fresh or dried fruit to muffin or cake mixtures
  • Add fruit to savoury salads
  • Chop fruit into bite-sized pieces and thread onto skewers for a colourful fruity kebab.3

Go to http://www.gofor2and5.com.au/ for more tips and healthy recipes.

go for 2 & 5 logoeat well logo

 

If you have a specific health condition, please talk to your GP or a dietitian before making changes to your diet.
Queensland Health acknowledges the development of the Go for 2&5® campaign and gofor2and5.com.au website by the Department of Health Western Australia. 
 

References
1. Queensland Health (2007). Eat Well Be Active web information. URL http://www.eatwellbeactive.qld.gov.au
2. Department of Health and Ageing (1998). The Australian Guide to healthy Eating, Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.
3. Austalian Government, State and Territory Initiative (2007), Go For 2&5. URL: http://www.gofor2and5.com.au/