Eat Well

Whether you’re starting early, working long hours, or eating away from home, there are small actions you can take to prepare for keeping your body and brain well nourished.

Why Eating Well matters

  • Eating well reduces your chances of developing cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancers and other health issues.  
  • Good nutrition improves your wellness and gives you energy. 
  • Nutritious foods give your body and mind the vitamins and minerals they need to be healthy, strong and productive. 
  • Good nutrition can reverse health problems helping you avoid conditions like type 2 diabetes and obesity. 
  • There is a strong link between mood and food. What you eat can affect how you feel. Eating healthy foods can have a positive impact on your mental health. 
  • Eating nutritious food helps you stay alert.
  • Eating healthily can improve your sleep. 

What can I do to eat well?

Eating a wide variety of nutritious foods from the five different food groups, and drinking plenty of water helps your brain and body to stay healthy and well nourished.

The Australian guidelines recommend to eat at least:

  • 5 serves of vegetables per day
  • 2 serves of fruit per day
  • 4 to 6 serves of grains per day
  • 5 to 3 serves of lean proteins per day
  • 5 to 4 serves of dairy and dairy alternatives per day

Tips to Eat Well

Eat nutritious foods

  • Eating two standard serves of fruit and five standard serves of different coloured vegetables across the day.
  • Try to eat lean meat such as poultry or fish – this type of food helps you feel fuller for longer
  • Regularly eat foods that are high in nutrients.
  • Avoid refined sugar, processed foods and refined vegetable oils.

Plan, plan and plan some more

  • Plan out your meals for the week on the weekend, and spend time prepping.
  • Plan serving and portion sizes.
  • Plan to eat mostly from your fridge or Esky.If you have access to a microwave oven, take frozen meals from home with you.
  • Plan to eat all your food within a 12-hour window. Your body needs the other 12 hours each day to finish processing the food you eat. Your body sleeps better when your stomach is not full.
  • Track your water consumption throughout the day by using a clear water bottle.

Eat mindfully

  • Only snack when you’re hungry and not out of boredom and stop eating when you feel full.
  • Try to eat with other people, not in front of the TV. This can help you listen better to your body’s ‘full’ signals.
  • Start with small changes that are easy to maintain. This could be swapping out processed afternoon snacks for healthier ones from your fridge like blueberries, cheese and cherry tomatoes, or veggie sticks and dip.

Useful resources