The Aboriginal and

Torres Strait Islander

Guide to Healthy Eating

Educator’s Resource


The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

Guide to Healthy Eating Educator’s Resource

Acknowledgments:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guide to Healthy Eating Working Party.

Northern Territory nutritionists.

Community members and individuals involved during the focus test phase (April 005) from:

Knuckey’ Lagoon, Jabiru, Maningrida, Milingimbi, Ngukurr, Oenpelli, Anmatjere

Nutrition Workshop, Wurli Wurlinjang Aboriginal Health Service, Department of Health
and Community Services - Northern Territory (DHCS - NT) Darwin Remote staff.

Graphics from the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guide to Healthy Eating.

Illustrations from ‘The Store Book’, ‘Keeping Fit, Keeping Healthy, Keeping Strong’ and

Julie Horn, Public Health Nutritionist, DHCS - NT.

Food photos by Anthea Oorloff, Public Health Nutritionist, DHCS - NT.

Materials are available for the general public and nutrition educators. Posters, a

consumer information sheet and background information can be obtained from the
Department of Health.

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guide to Healthy Eating was adapted with permission from the
Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (1998, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing).
MARCH 2006
 

The Aboriginal and Torres Strait

Islander Guide to Healthy Eating

Contents Page
What is the guide for? 4-5
What are the food groups? 6-7
Breads, cereals, rice, spaghetti and noodles 8 - 11
Vegetables 1 - 15
Fruit 16 - 19
Milk, cheese and yoghurt 0 - 
Meat 4 - 7
Sometimes foods 8 - 1
Water  - 
Move more 4 - 5
Ideas for using this resource 6
Example meal plans 7
4

What is the guide for?

• The guide is a scientifically based nutrition education

resource that can help educate Aboriginal and Torres

Strait Islander people about choosing a balanced and
varied healthy diet.
• The guide shows how much food is required every day
from each food group for good nutrition and health.
• Healthy eating throughout life will help reduce the risk of
health problems later in life such as heart disease, cancer,
diabetes and obesity.
• The foods included in the guide are those that can be
found at the store as well as some local bush foods.
 5

What is the guide for?

Helping you to make

healthy food choices

for good health and nutrition.

What are the food groups?

• Foods have been grouped into 5 food groups mostly because

they have similar types of nutrients. The 5 groups are:
• Breads, cereals, rice, spaghetti and noodles
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Milk, cheese and yoghurt
• Meat.
• Eating foods from each food group every day in the right
amounts will help to give the nutrients needed for good
health.
• Eating different foods within each food group is also
important because they each can give different good
nutrients.
 7

What are the food groups?

8

Bread, cereals, rice, spaghetti

and noodles

• Includes bread, damper, scones, breakfast cereals, rice,

spaghetti and other types of pasta, noodles, and flour.
• These foods give mostly carbohydrate for energy, iron
for strong blood, thiamine to help your body make energy
from carbohydrates and fibre to help prevent constipation
and help lower cholesterol levels.
• The wholemeal or wholegrain varieties give more fibre,

vitamins and minerals.

 9

Bread, cereals, rice, spaghetti

and noodles

10

Bread, cereals, rice, spaghetti

and noodles

It is recommended that:
• Young children (4 - 7 years) have 3 to 4 serves each day.
• Older children (8 - 11 years) have 4 to 6 serves each day.
• Teenagers (1 - 18 years) have 4 to 7 serves each day.
• Adults have 3 to 7 serves each day.
1 serve =  slices bread.
1 medium bread roll.
1 cup cooked rice, noodles or spaghetti.
11/ cup breakfast cereal or 1 cup of porridge.

• Adults who are very old or are trying to lose weight should have the lower number
of serves each day.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women, people who are underweight or very
physically active people like athletes should have the higher number of serves
each day.
• Other people should have around the middle number of serves in the range.
 11

Bread, cereals, rice, spaghetti

and noodles

1 serve =  slices bread

1 cup cooked
rice, noodles or
spaghetti

11/ cup
breakfast cereal
1

Vegetables

• Includes fresh, frozen or tinned vegetables like:

• starchy (potato, sweet potato and yam).

• orange (carrot, pumpkin).

• green leafy (spinach, cabbage, broccoli).

• salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber).
• legumes (baked beans, peas, beans).

• These foods are a good source of vitamin A which helps

the body fight infections.

• They also are a good source of carbohydrate for energy,

fibre to help prevent constipation and help lower cholesterol
levels, iron for strong blood and vitamin C to keep skin
healthy, help the body take iron from food and help the body
fight infections.
 1

Vegetables
14

Vegetables

It is recommended that:
• Young children (4 - 7 years) have 4 serves each day.
• Older children (8 - 11 years) have 4 to 5 serves each day.
• Teenagers (1 - 18 years) have 5 to 9 serves each day.
• Adults have 4 to 8 serves each day.
1 serve = 1/ cup cooked vegetables.
1/ cup baked beans.

1 cup salad vegetables.

1 potato.

• Adults who are very old or are trying to lose weight should have the lower number
of serves each day.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women, people who are underweight or very
physically active people like athletes should have the higher number of serves
each day.
• Other people should have around the middle number of serves in the range.
 15

Vegetables

1 serve = 1/ cup cooked

vegetables

1/
cup baked
beans

1 cup salad

vegetables

16

Fruit

• Includes fresh, frozen, dried or tinned fruit like apples, pears,

bush berries and plums, tropical fruit (banana, mango,
pawpaw), melons (watermelon, rockmelon), apricots and
peaches.

• These foods are a good source of vitamins especially

vitamin C to help keep skin healthy, help the body take iron
from food and help the body fight infections.

• They are also a good source of carbohydrate for energy,

fibre to help prevent constipation and help lower cholesterol
levels and folate to keep blood strong and help make new
cells for the body.
 17

Fruit
18

Fruit

It is recommended that:
• Young children (4 - 7 years) have 2 serves each day.
• Older children (8 - 11 years) have 1 to 2 serves each day.
• Teenagers (1 - 18 years) have 3 to 4 serves each day.
• Adults have 2 to 5 serves each day.
1 serve = 1 medium fruit like apple or orange.
4 dried apricot halves.
1 cup chopped canned fruit.
1/ cup juice.

• Adults who are very old or are trying to lose weight should have the lower number
of serves each day.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women, people who are underweight or very
physically active people like athletes should have the higher number of serves
each day.
• Other people should have around the middle number of serves in the range.
 19

Fruit

1 serve = 1 medium fruit

like apple

4 dried apricot
halves

1 cup
chopped
canned fruit
0

Milk, cheese and yoghurt

• Includes fresh, powdered, or long-life milk (full cream,

reduced-fat, skim), cheese, yoghurt and soy milk (with added
calcium).

• These foods are a good source of calcium for strong bones

and protein for body growth and repair.

• They are also a good source of carbohydrate for energy,

and have some vitamins and minerals.

• The reduced-fat or skim varieties are the best choice for

most people as these contain less fat and cholesterol.

• Skim or reduced-fat choices are not suitable for children

under  years because of their high energy needs.
 1

Milk, cheese and yoghurt



Milk, cheese and yoghurt

It is recommended that:
• Young children (4 - 7 years) have 3 serves each day.
• Older children (8 - 11 years) have 3 serves each day.
• Teenagers (1 - 18 years) have 3 to 5 serves each day.
• Adults have 2 to 4 serves each day.
1 serve = 1 cup (50 ml) milk.
6 teaspoons of powdered milk.
1 small tub (00g) yoghurt.
 slices of cheese (40g).

• Adults who are very old or are trying to lose weight should have the lower number
of serves each day.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women, people who are underweight or very
physically active people like athletes should have the higher number of serves
each day.
• Other people should have around the middle number of serves in the range.
 

Milk, cheese and yoghurt

1 serve = 1 cup (50 ml)

milk

6 teaspoons of

powdered milk

1 small tub (00g)

yoghurt
4

Meat

• Includes beef, lamb, pork, kangaroo, goanna, emu, goose

and other bush birds, poultry (chicken, turkey), fish and other

seafood, turtle, dugong, eggs, nuts, bush nuts and seeds,

and legumes (baked beans, peas, beans).

• These foods are a good source of protein for body growth

and repair, iron for strong blood and zinc for healthy skin
and growth.

• Most people should try to have only small amounts of the

meat fat.
 5

Meat
6

Meat

It is recommended that:
• Young children (4 - 7 years) have 1/2 to 1 serve each day
• Older children (8 - 11 years) have 1 to 1 1/2 serves each day
• Teenagers (1 - 18 years) have 1 to 2 serves each day
• Adults have 1 to 2 serves each day
1 serve =  eggs

65-100g cooked meat or chicken,

80-120g cooked fish

1/ cup peanuts or almonds

• Adults who are very old or are trying to lose weight should have the lower number
of serves each day.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women, people who are underweight or very physically
active people like athletes should have the higher number of serves each day.
• Other people should have around the middle number of serves in the range.
 7

Meat

1 serve =  eggs

65-100g cooked

meat or chicken

80-10g cooked
fish

8

Sometimes Foods

• Includes sweet foods (sugar, honey, biscuits, cakes,

desserts, soft drinks, lollies and chocolates), high fat foods
(butter, oil, potato crisps, hot chips, pies, pasties, sausage
rolls and other take-aways) and alcohol.

• These foods are not in the circle because they do not fit into

any of the food groups. They also do not provide the body
with any important nutrients.

• Too much of these foods can make people put on weight and
miss out on the important nutrients needed for good health.

• Sometimes foods have been included in the guide to help

people become aware that small amounts of these foods can
add enjoyment to healthy eating.
 9

Sometimes Foods
0

Sometimes Foods

If you choose to eat these foods try to limit to 1 to 3 serves each

day (children and adults).
1 serve = 1/ meat pie.

1 hot chips.

1 can (75ml) soft drink.

4 plain sweet biscuits.

• Adults who are very old or are trying to lose weight should have the lower number
or no serves of these foods each day.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women, people who are underweight or very physically
active people like athletes can have the higher number of serves each day.
• People who have diabetes, heart disease or other health problems should talk to
their health worker about how much of these foods they can have.
 1

Sometimes Foods

1 serve = 1/ meat pie

1 hot chips

1 can (75ml)
soft drink



Water

• Your body needs a lot of fluid each day and more if it is very

hot or you are physically active.

• Any fluid helps, except alcohol, but water is the best.

• Water is needed by every organ of the body to work well.

• Water helps carry nutrients around the body, helps the

kidneys to remove unwanted chemicals from the body, and
helps to keep the body cool with sweating.

Adults should try to have

2 litres (8 cups) of water each day.

 

Water

Adults should try to have

 litres (8 cups) of water
each day.

or
4

Move More

• Increasing your physical activity levels will help you to stay fit

and healthy.

• Try to do 0 minutes of physical activity every day. This

does not have to be all at once. You can do  lots of 10
minutes if you like.

• Walk more. Try to walk around the community instead of

using a car.

• If you can, keep playing sport.

• Other activities can count such as gardening, cleaning the

floors, swimming, dancing and hunting.
 5

Move More

0 minutes
every day

Dancing

Gardening

Walking

Hunting or collecting
Sport bush tucker
6
Ideas for using this resource:

• Show what a day’s meal plan can look like for the group you
are with. Use food models, photos or drawings of foods. Food
models can be real food, empty packets of food or plastic food
models.
• Do a cooking demonstration showing what serve sizes look like
and how you can add enough ingredients to feed one person
or the whole family.
• Have people write down or talk about how they can change
what they are eating to eat more of the five food groups. This

might include writing down or talking about what was eaten

yesterday and writing down or talking about how that could be
changed.
• Talk about shopping and buying enough serves for the family
from each of the food groups either on a daily or weekly basis.
• Talk to your nutritionist about these or other ideas for using this
resource.
 7

Example meal plans

Young child Older child Teenager Adult
(4 – 7 years) (8 – 11 years) (12 – 18 years) (over 18 years)
B = Breakfast, M/T = Morning Tea, L = Lunch, A/T = Afternoon Tea, D = Dinner/Supper
B – 1 bowl of cereal B –  slices toast B – 1 bowl of cereal B – Baked beans
and milk. with spread. Piece and milk. Piece of on  slices toast.
M/T – Piece of fruit. of fruit. fruit. Piece of fruit.
L – Sandwich: M/T – Small tub M/T – Small tub of L – Sandwich:
 slices of bread, of yoghurt. Dry yoghurt. Piece of  slices of bread,
slice of cheese and biscuits with fruit. slice of cheese,
salad. Piece of spread. L – Large bread tuna and salad.
fruit. L – Sandwich: roll with slice of Piece of fruit.
A/T – Small tub of  slices of bread, cheese, slice of D – Bowl of meat
yoghurt or cheese slice of cheese and meat and salad. and vegetable curry
stick. salad. A/T – Piece of fruit. with rice.
D – Bowl of meat A/T – Cheese stick. Dry biscuits with  slices of bread or
and vegetable stew Piece of fruit. spread. damper. Small tub
with rice. D – Plate of D – Fish with of yoghurt.
spaghetti with meat baked potato and
and vegetable vegetables.  slices
sauce. of bread or damper.
Reprinted with permission of the Northern Territory Government,

Department of Health and Community Services.

MARCH 2006