The importance of a balanced diet.
You often hear how imperative it is to eat a healthy, balanced diet – but what exactly does a ‘balanced diet’ mean and just how important is it? What are the current recommendations for servings from each food group?
With so many different diets and eating plans espousing various claims; mountains of (often conflicting) information on what we should be eating and a plethora of opinions, it’s easy to get confused by what is one of the most simple things we do – eat. But it doesn’t need to be so complicated. Let’s get back to basics.
Getting the balance right in a balanced diet
It’s easy to think you’re eating well when in reality you may be eating too much meat, or not enough fruits or vegetables. You may struggle to get enough servings of grains or dairy in your day. Another trap is simply getting stuck in a rut and eating the same thing on repeat without realising you’re not getting your recommended serves.
Eating a well-balanced diet across all of the food groups means that you’re nourishing your body with a broad cross section of nutrients essential for the maintenance and functioning of a healthy body. These nutrients also help reduce our risk of serious health problems such as some cancers, heart disease, obesity and type 2 diabetes.
In order to get enough of these various nutrients, we need to eat a variety of foods from across the five food groups and be eating the recommended servings of each to achieve an ideal balance. You may think you know the recommended servings, however there are variances based on gender, age and for pregnant or breastfeeding women to be aware of, so it’s worth revisiting.
The five food groups are:
- Fruit
- Vegetables & legumes/beans
- Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, legumes/beans
- Grains, cereal foods, mostly wholegrain
- Milk, yogurt, cheese and or alternatives
Below are the current Australian guidelines for recommended servings from each of the food groups from the Eat for Health government website:
| Recommended average daily number of serves from each of the five food groups* | Additional serves for taller or more active men and women | |||||
| Vegetables & legumes/beans | Fruit | Grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain | Lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans | Milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives (mostly reduced fat) | Approx. number of additional serves from the five food groups or discretionary choices | |
| Men | ||||||
| 19-50 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 ½ | 0-3 |
| 51-70 | 5 ½ | 2 | 6 | 2 ½ | 2 ½ | 0-2 ½ |
| 70+ | 5 | 2 | 4 ½ | 2 ½ | 3 ½ | 0-2 ½ |
| Women | ||||||
| 19-50 | 5 | 2 | 6 | 2 ½ | 2 ½ | 0-2 ½ |
| 51-70 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 0-2 ½ |
| 70+ | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0-2 |
| Pregnant | 5 | 2 | 8 ½ | 3 ½ | 2 ½ | 0-2 ½ |
| Lactating | 7 ½ | 2 | 9 | 2 ½ | 2 ½ | 0-2 ½ |
* Includes an allowance for unsaturated spreads or oils, nuts or seeds (4 serves [28-40g] per day for men less than 70 years of age; 2 serves [14-20g] per day for women and older men.)
For recommended serving information for children, toddlers and adolescents click here: https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/how-much-do-we-need-each-day/recommended-number-serves-children-adolescents-and
Serving sizes of balanced diet
How much is a standard single serving and what does that look like?
- Fruit – approximately 150 grams or 1 medium apple, pear or orange
- Vegetables & legumes/beans – approximately 75 grams or for example, ½ a cup of cooked broccoli, ½ a cup of cooked lentils or 1 medium tomato
- Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds, legumes/beans – roughly 500 – 600 kilojoules or 2 large eggs, 1 cup of cooked chickpeas, 65 grams of cooked beef or 80 grams of cooked chicken
- Grains, cereal foods – roughly 500 kilojoules, which is 1 slice of bread, ½ a cup of cooked pasta, a ¼ cup of muesli or 1 crumpet for example
- Milk, yogurt, cheese and or alternatives – approximately 500 – 600 kilojoules or for example, 40 grams of hard cheese, 200 grams of yogurt or 1 cup of milk
Are you getting your recommended servings?
Here’s an example of a well-balanced diet menu for a woman aged 19-50 of average height day’s , healthy weight and light activity to help get you started:
| Meal / Food | Weight / portion size | Food group and number of serves |
| Breakfast | ||
| Wholegrain breakfast cereal, with reduced fat milk |
60g cereal 1 cup (250ml) reduced fat milk |
2 grain serves 1 milk/yoghurt/cheese serve |
| Reduced fat yoghurt | 100g yoghurt | ½ milk/yoghurt/cheese serve |
| Morning break | ||
| Coffee with milk | 200ml (small coffee) | ¼ milk/yoghurt/cheese serve |
| Lunch | ||
| Sandwich with salad and chicken | 2 slices bread 40g chicken 1 teaspoon margarine 1 cup salad vegetables |
2 grain serves ½ meat and/or alternatives serve 5g unsaturated spread (½ serve) 1 vegetable serve |
| Apple | 1 medium | 1 fruit serve |
| Afternoon break | ||
| Unsalted nuts | 30g | 1 meat and/or alternatives serve |
| Coffee with milk | 200ml (small coffee) | ¼ milk/yoghurt/cheese serve |
| Evening meal | ||
| Pasta with beef mince and red kidney beans, tomato and green salad with olive oil and vinegar dressing | 1 cup of cooked pasta 65g cooked mince ¼ cup kidney beans 1½ medium tomato ½ onion 2 cups green leafy salad 2 teaspoon unsaturated oil |
2 grain serves 1 meat and/or alternative serve 1½ vegetable serve ½ vegetable serve 2 vegetable serves 14g unsaturated oil (2 serves) |
| Evening snack | ||
| Plums and reduced fat yoghurt | 1 cup stewed plums 100g yoghurt |
1 fruit serve ½ milk/yogurt/cheese serve |
https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/food-essentials/how-much-do-we-need-each-day/sample-meal-plan-women
Take the time to take a closer look at what you’re actually eating and ensure you’re getting what you need for a healthy body and a healthy life. There’s a wealth of helpful information available online if you’re looking for ideas. Get inspired and create your new, balanced diet eating plan today!