Download Shopping for Good Health Nutrition Fact Sheet

Nutrition Fact Sheet
Shopping for Good Health
Eating a wide variety of food from the different food groups every day helps you to get
most of the nutrients you need each day. Nutrition Australia's Healthy Living Pyramid
can be used as a guide when food shopping for good health. As a general rude, spend
60% of your food budget on foods from the 'eat most' group, 30% on the 'eat
moderately' group, and very little (no more than 10%) on foods in the 'eat in small
amounts' group.
Eat Most Foods
Fruit and vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are a good source of vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and
dietary fibre.
All vegetables and fruits have almost no fat except for avocado and olives.
All vegetables are significantly low in calories.
Shopping Tips
Whole fresh fruit is a better choice than juice because fresh fruit contains more
nutrients and is a better source of fibre. Make sure the fruits and veggies you buy
are not bruised or damaged.
Frozen and canned fruits and vegetable are as good as fresh. Choose fruits in
natural juices or without added sugar. Pay special attention to the salt content of
canned vegetables and choose no-added salt/sodium products.
Buy fruits and vegetables in season as this will give you better value for money.
What to include in your shopping basket?
Fruits: Apples, pears, citrus fruit (e.g. oranges, mandarins),
Tropical fruit (e.g. bananas, pineapple),
Berries, grapes, stone fruit (e.g. apricots, peaches)
Vegetables: Dark green veggies (e.g. spinach, broccoli)
Orange veggies (e.g. sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots)
Cruciferous veggies (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts)
Starchy veggies (e.g. potatoes, sweet potato, corn)
Salad veggies (e.g. lettuce, tomato, cucumber, capsicum, celery, snow peas)
Cereals
Nutrients provided by this food group include carbohydrates, protein, dietary fibre
and a wide range of vitamins and minerals including folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin
and iron.
Wholemeal or wholegrain cereal products provide more fibre, vitamins and minerals
than refined varieties.
Produced by Nutrition Australia. Revised Jan 2012
© 2012. The Australian Nutrition Foundation Inc. t/a Nutrition Australia.
www.nutritionaustralia.org
All rights reserved.
Shopping Tips
Choose a wide variety of breads including white, brown, wholegrain, multigrain and
rye. Also choose different types of breads such as rolls, pita breads and other flat
breads.
Choose more wholegrain products such as wholegrain bread, high fibre cereal,
brown rice and wholemeal pasta.
Some breakfast cereals can be high in fat and added sugar. Make sure you read
the Nutrition Information Panel on cereal products and choose those with the least
amount of fat and no added sugar.
Try different breakfast cereals based on a variety of grains such as oats, rice, corn
and wheat.
Try new grain products instead of pasta or rice such as couscous, quinoa, burghul
and polenta.
What to include in your shopping basket?
Wholemeal, multigrain and rye breads
Rolls, pita breads, flat breads
Wholemeal pasta, brown rice, barley
Rolled oats, natural muesli, bran cereals
Wholegrain breakfast cereals/biscuits
Couscous, quinoa, burghul, polenta
Legumes
Legumes are a good source of protein, vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre,
carbohydrates and phytochemicals
A combination of legumes with grains can provide all the essential amino acids.
This is especially useful for those adhering to a vegetarian diet.
Shopping tips
Legumes are the cheapest source of protein – add them to your meat recipes to
lower the cost and bulk up the meal at the same time.
Canned legumes are as good as dried, but make sure you pay attention to the salt
content of canned products. Choose those with no-added salt.
What to include in your shopping basket?
Beans, peas, lentils,
Chickpeas, tofu, soybeans
Eat in Moderate Amounts
Dairy and Dairy Products
Dairy foods are an excellent source of calcium, and are a good source of other
important nutrients such as protein, riboflavin and vitamin B12.
Many types of yoghurt provide good bacteria (probiotics), which are essential for a
healthy gut.
Shopping Tips
A wide variety of milk and milk-substitute products are available in the market.
When buying milk-substitute products (such as soy products), be sure to choose
those that are fortified with calcium.
Compare the fat content of dairy products by checking nutrition labels, and choose
milk, yoghurt, cheese and custard products which are lowest in fat.
Produced by Nutrition Australia. Revised Jan 2012
© 2012. The Australian Nutrition Foundation Inc. t/a Nutrition Australia.
www.nutritionaustralia.org
All rights reserved.
Be careful, as some 'reduced-fat' dairy varieties may still be high in fat.
Most processed cheeses are high in salt. Be sure to choose those with the lowest
salt content.
What to include in your shopping basket?
Reduced-fat milk (e.g. fresh, long-life, powder, condensed, evaporated, soy, rice
and lactose-free)
Reduced-fat yoghurt (natural flavoured)
Reduced-fat cheese (e.g. cheddar, feta, cottage, ricotta)
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Eggs and Nuts
The foods in this group are a good source of protein, iron, niacin and vitamin B12.
Red meat in particular is a good source of iron and zinc.
Certain meat varieties can be high in fat. Red meat in particular can be high in
saturated fat.
Most fish is low in saturated fat and is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Eggs are a good source of protein and vitamins A, D, E and K and can be enjoyed
in moderate amounts.
Nuts are a good source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids and can lower LDL
(bad) cholesterol and total blood cholesterol. Nuts are also a good source of
phytochemicals and minerals.
Shopping Tips
Choose lean cuts of beef, pork, veal and lamb trimmed of all visible fat.
Choose red meats with less marbling as they are lower in fat.
Choose poultry trimmed of visible fat and without skin, e.g. chicken, turkey, duck.
Avoid processed meat and deli meat (e.g. salami and pepperoni) as they are very
high in fat and salt.
Be wary of bulk buys when it comes to meat – fatty meat and bony chops may be
part of the package.
Canned fish is as nutritious as fresh fish and can be a convenient option. The best
alternatives are those canned in water rather than brine (salt) or oil.
Many frozen fish products are high in fat. Choose those that are not crumbed, and
those that can be prepared by oven baking, microwave or steaming.
Choose eggs as they are very nutritious and easy to cook quickly.
Choose a variety of nuts with no-added salt and have them in small amounts each
day.
What to include in your shopping basket?
Lean cuts of beef, pork, veal, lamb and chicken
Fish including fatty fish such as salmon, sardine, tuna, blue-eye trevalla, blue mackerel
(fresh, frozen, canned)
Eggs
Nuts such as almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, walnuts, hazelnuts, macadamia, and
peanuts
Eat in Small Amounts
Oils
Most vegetable oils are high in unsaturated fats (i.e. monounsaturated and
polyunsaturated fats, or ‘good fats’). The exceptions are coconut and palm oil which
are high in saturated fat (or ‘bad fat’).
Produced by Nutrition Australia. Revised Jan 2012
© 2012. The Australian Nutrition Foundation Inc. t/a Nutrition Australia.
www.nutritionaustralia.org
All rights reserved.
Animal sources of fat such as butter, lard and drippings are high in saturated fat and
increase the risk of heart disease.
Hydrogenated vegetable oils (especially those which are used in commercial foods)
can be high in saturated fat and trans fat, both of which increase the risk of heart
disease.
Shopping Tips
Choose cooking oils and margarines that are labelled 'monounsaturated' or
'polyunsaturated' as they contain ‘good fats’.
When selecting margarine spreads, check the nutrition panel for levels of trans fat
and check the ingredients list for hydrogenated vegetable oils. Choose those that
contain less than 1g of trans fat per 100g of product.
If you decided to purchase dressings and sauces, make sure the products you
choose are made with unsaturated fat and are low in salt.
What to include in your shopping basket?
Sunflower, safflower, corn and soya bean oils (mainly polyunsaturated)
Olive, peanut and canola oils (mainly monounsaturated)
Margarine labelled 'monounsaturated' or ‘polyunsaturated’ with minimal
trans fat
Snacks
Most processed and prepackaged snacks are high in fat (especially saturated fat) and
sugar.
These types of snacks are also generally low in dietary fibre.
Shopping Tips
Try to shop for healthier snacks that are based on cereal products, fruit and
vegetables.
Look for snacks that are less processed/packaged.
Choose snacks that are low in fat (especially saturated and trans fat), salt and
sugar.
What to include in your shopping basket?
Fruit
Vegetables (e.g. carrot, capsicum, celery, cucumber)
Low fat dips such as hummus, salsa and guacamole
Yoghurt that is low in fat and sugar
Low fat crackers/crisp bread/rice crackers with salsa and/or avocado
Fruit buns
Produced by Nutrition Australia. Revised Jan 2012
© 2012. The Australian Nutrition Foundation Inc. t/a Nutrition Australia.
www.nutritionaustralia.org
All rights reserved.