Reviewed and updated from the 2003 guidelines, they apply to all healthy Australians, as well as those with common health conditions such as being overweight. They do not apply to people who need special dietary advice for a medical condition, or to the frail elderly.

The National Health and Medical Research Council did this review and looked at over 55,000 pieces of published scientific research.

What do Australians need to eat more and less of?
As part of this review, information was collected on what foods Australians eat. The reviewers found Australians need to:

Eat more:

• Vegetables and legumes/beans, including a variety of different coloured vegetables
• Fruit
• Wholegrain (cereal) foods such as wholegrain breakfast cereals and wholemeal or grainy bread
• Milk, yoghurt, cheese; preferably reduced fat varieties (except for children under two years)
• Fish, seafood, poultry, eggs, nuts and seeds and legumes/beans
• Red meat (young women only).

Eat less:

• Refined grain (cereal) foods such as white bread and low fibre cereals
• High and medium fat milk, yoghurt and cheese
• Red meat (adult males only)
• Energy-dense and/or nutrient-poor food and drinks high in saturated fat, added sugars, salt and/or alcohol.

New Australian Dietary Guidelines for Adults
These are the five major dietary guidelines:

1. Achieve and maintain a healthy weight
2. Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods from the five food groups every day; and drink plenty of water
3. Limit intake of foods containing saturated fat, added salt, sugars and alcohol
4. Encourage, support and promote breastfeeding
5. Care for your food; prepare and store it safely.

View each guideline in more detail at Eat for Health

Main changes to the Australian Dietary Guidelines

• The serve sizes of food from each of the food groups have been revised to equal a specific number of kilojoules, intended to help manage your weight better
• The number of serves from the breads and cereals group has decreased and the serving sizes are now smaller. There is more emphasis on wholegrain and high fibre cereal foods
• Stronger wording for salt and sugar, you are now asked to ‘limit’ intake of foods and drinks containing added salt and sugars rather than ‘consume moderate amounts’
• The benefits of healthy fats have been recognised. We are encouraged to replace saturated fats with mono and polyunsaturated fats
• Separation of the unsaturated fats and oils from the extra/junk foods
• Extra foods are now called ‘discretionary’ foods and there is no daily allowance for these
• It is recommended all adults eat slightly more foods from the milk, yoghurt, cheese and alternatives group particularly older adults
• It is now recommended we eat more protein serves per day
• The new guidelines now include the ‘Foundation Diet’ and the ‘Total Diet’

Foundation Diet
The number of serves from each food group (see table) is the Foundation
Diet – which meets the energy and nutrient needs of the smallest, least active adult in each age and gender group. The Foundation Diet is also recommended for adults who are overweight. To find out about the serve sizes visit
Eat for Health

Total Diet
People who are active and taller will require more serves from the food groups, and only an occasional serve from the discretionary group if they choose to do so. This will then be called the Total Diet. To find out how many extra serves you require please speak with your dietitian or visit
Eat for Health

What do the new dietary guidelines mean for people with diabetes?
Each of the grain (cereal) serves from the 2003 guidelines has been reduced by half. Some of these serve sizes still bear no relation to 15g ‘exchanges’ or ‘portions’ of carbohydrate that would be used in carbohydrate counting:

E.g. ½ cup cooked rice = 1 serve grain food in the dietary guidelines

½ cup cooked rice = 1 carbohydrate exchange (15g) in carbohydrate counting

Hence it is best to follow the advice from your dietitian about your carbohydrate intake.

For more information on the new Australian Dietary Guidelines visit
Eat for Health