What kind of food should I be eating and how much?
Find out more about eating well using the five food groups.
Vegetables and legumes/beans
Enjoy a variety of colours and types (eat the rainbow).
Fruit
Eat mostly fresh fruit and enjoy a variety of colours and types. Frozen and canned fruit in juice (with no added sugar) are also great options. Try to limit fruit juice (no added sugar) to small amounts or only occasionally.
Grain (cereal) foods
Mostly wholegrain and high-fibre, such as wholegrain bread, wholemeal pasta and brown rice.
Lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, legumes/beans, nuts and seeds
Enjoy plant based protein foods such as legumes, beans, nuts and seeds a few times a week.
Milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or dairy alternatives
Mostly reduced fat. Dairy alternatives include calcium fortified plant milks, such as almond, rice and soy.
How much you need of each of these foods in a day depends on your age and gender. You can use our food calculator to find out what is best for you.
Sometimes foods
Other types of food – like take-away meals, biscuits, soft drinks and alcohol – can be high in salt, saturated fat and sugar and should be eaten only sometimes (not every day) and in small portions. An example of a small portion would be one or two sweet biscuits, not a packet, or a can of soft drink, not a large bottle.