This is because no single food group can provide all the nutrients we need daily.

It’s important to include something from each of the five food groups – grains; fruit; vegetables; milk and dairy foods; and meat, poultry and fish every day. It’s also important that the foods we select from each group work together to provide the nutrition and energy we need without overloading our bodies with excess fats and kilojoules.

It’s estimated that 50 percent of Australian adults have high cholesterol levels and should lower their intake of saturated fats by choosing low-fat dairy products and choosing lean cuts of red meat as well as skinless poultry.  Eggs can also be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet and will not raise blood cholesterol levels.  If you have high cholesterol it’s best to limit eggs to 4 – 5 a week.  Oats and oat-containing products that are rich in a soluble fibre known as beta-glucan have also been shown to help lower cholesterol absorption and are a tasty addition to your daily diet.

All this should help reduce the amount of kilojoules in your daily diet. The terms ‘kilojoule’ and ‘calorie’ are simply measures of energy, but when the energy levels in our diets are higher than we need our bodies store the excess as fatty tissue.

This is why it’s helpful to know how many kilojoules are in each type of food we eat. Two slices of soy and linseed bread contain fewer kilojoules than a bowl of muesli or a muffin, so for those wanting to keep weight under control toast is a better choice than muesli or muffins for breakfast.

Fibre is another essential in a healthy diet. It’s found in wholemeal and wholegrain cereals, fruits and vegetables and helps keep our digestive systems healthy. Adults should consume at least 30 grams of fibre daily, yet the average Australian’s diet contains as little as 18grams of fibre.

Interestingly, in many cases people who are overweight have been shown to lose significant amounts of excess body fat simply by increasing the amount of fibre in their daily diet. To keep weight off, a combination of fewer kilojoules and more fibre is a good idea.

Every healthy diet should also include 48 grams of wholegrain daily from foods such as wholemeal or wholegrain breads, wholegrain breakfast cereals and brown rice. They take longer to digest and create a feeling of fullness, which discourages overeating, and they also reduce the risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes.