Did you know most Australians eat only about half the recommended quantity of vegetables per day?

Strong evidence supports the idea that with every daily serving of vegetables you consume, the risk of coronary heart disease decreases significantly. Moreover, the inclusion of colorful vegetables in your diet not only further reduces the risk of heart disease but also lowers the chances of stroke and unwanted weight gain.

Vegetables, including legumes/beans are nutrient dense, low in kilojoules, and are a good source of minerals and vitamins (such as magnesium, vitamin C and folate), dietary fibre and a range of phytochemicals including carotenoids.

Vegetables can be broken up into different groups, with each group providing their own unique nutrients. The main sub-groups for vegetables are:

People wanting to lose weight will also find this information useful for planning meals and snacks. Following the recommended number of serves from the Five Food Groups and avoiding the discretionary foods will result in a gradual but healthy weight loss for most people. However, some people, particularly younger men and people who are taller than average or more active, may need additional serves of the five food groups.

Eating Regularly

It’s essential for weight control and especially weight loss, to recognise and act on the feedback your body gives you about when and how much you need to eat. However it’s also important to aim for a regular eating pattern of meals, or meals and mid meals. A planned pattern of eating is more likely to include the recommended number of serves from the five food groups. A spontaneous, unstructured eating pattern is more likely to include too many discretionary foods which means too much saturated fat, added sugars, added salt and kilojoules at the expense of fibre and important nutrients.

Eat with other people not TV

We also know that people who eat with others and eat at the dining table, are more likely to eat regularly and eat well than those who eat alone or in front of the TV. Meals with others tend to include more foods from the five food groups. For example, people often report that they can’t be bothered cooking vegetables just for themselves.

Television watching is associated with eating more discretionary choices like take-away or convenience foods and fewer foods from the five foods. It also makes it much more difficult to recognise and respond to our body’s signals about hunger and satiety. Good meal planning and making healthy choices can sometimes be tricky but a few useful tips can make it easier.

The main message of the Healthy Eating Plate is to focus on diet quality:

• The type of carbohydrate in the diet is more important than the amount of carbohydrate in the diet, because some sources of carbohydrate—like vegetables (other than potatoes), fruits, whole grains, and beans—are healthier than others.
• The Healthy Eating Plate also advises consumers to avoid sugary beverages, a major source of calories—usually with little nutritional value—in the American diet.
• The Healthy Eating Plate encourages consumers to use healthy oils, and it does not set a maximum on the percentage of calories people should get each day from healthy sources of fat. In this way, the Healthy Eating Plate recommends the opposite of the low-fat message promoted for decades by the USDA.

Healthy Eating: Changing Your Eating Habits

The food you eat can affect your health and your risk for certain diseases. To eat healthier food, you may need to change some of your daily habits. You also may need to change some things in your environment. Your environment includes everything around you, like your home or the place you work. You don't need to make huge changes to eat healthier. And you don't have to change your habits all at the same time. It's best to set small goals and change your habits a little bit at a time. Over time, small changes can make a big difference in your health.

This information will help you make useful changes for healthy eating.

• Changing your eating habits and your environment can help you eat healthier foods.
• A healthy diet is good for your overall health. It also can help you reach a healthy weight and stay there.
• To improve your eating habits, it's best to make small lifestyle changes that you can keep doing over time.

How can you change your eating habits?

To eat a healthy diet, you may need to make some changes. Remember that you can change your eating habits a little bit at a time. Small changes are easier to make and can lead to better health. Here are some ways to make healthy changes in your eating habits:

• Keep more fruits, low-fat dairy products (low-fat milk and low-fat yogurt), vegetables, and whole-grain foods at home and at work. Focus on adding healthy food to your diet, rather than just taking unhealthy foods away
• Try to eat a family meal every day at the kitchen or dining table. This will help you focus on eating healthy meals.
• Buy a healthy-recipe book, and cook for yourself. Chew gum when you cook so you won't be tempted to snack on the ingredients.
• Pack a healthy lunch and snacks for work. This lets you have more control over what you eat.
• Put your snacks on a plate instead of eating from the package. This helps you control how much you eat.
• Don't skip or delay meals, and be sure to schedule your snacks. If you ignore your feelings of hunger, you may end up eating too much or choosing an unhealthy snack. If you often feel too hungry, it can cause you to focus a lot on food.
• Eat your meals with others when you can. Relax and enjoy your meals, and don't eat too fast. Try to make healthy eating a pleasure, not a chore.
• Drink water instead of high-sugar drinks (including high-sugar juice drinks).