In order to achieve your nutritional needs all of your life it is important to consider consuming a variety of foods that will help you achieve your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. We all know that consuming a wide range of vitamins and minerals can provide us with protection against disease and increase our life span. But before making any significant changes to your diet it is important to consult with your doctor first.

What does food variety mean?

Variety means choosing to eat a mixture of nutritious foods across the range of food types (cereal, fruit, dairy) and a mixture from within food types, eg, cereals (rye, barley, wheat) 3 .

How do you increase your food variety?

To achieve this, consider choosing foods that already provide you with instant variety such as:

• Eating multigrain bread (up to 7 different types of grains) or muesli that contains a mixture of grains, nuts, cereals and fruits. By doing this you may have included up to 5 different items into your diet in just one serving.
• Rather than having a meal comprised of a few different ingredients such as steak with mashed potato and peas try many ingredients in smaller portions. For example, steak and two vegetables can be converted into a beef stir fry by adding; garlic, carrots, snow peas, capsicum and onions – the choice is yours.
• An easy way to increase variety in a dish is through the addition of fresh herbs and spices into your favourite dish. Parsley, garlic, chives, and basil can be added to mashed potato, sprinkled over steamed vegetables or added to your favourite pasta sauce.

How do our dietary intakes differ through our life?

As we mature our body has different requirements. The tables below will provide you with an indication of some dietary intakes based upon your age.

Nutrition and the young adult

Young adults have been shown to at risk of anaemia, tooth decay, obesity and calcium deficiency.

Iron deficiency anaemia is a common nutritional deficiency in children and young adults - young women in particular but physically active young men may also find themselves with iron deficiency. In order to maintain their body weight some young adults may have removed meat from their diet believing it is an unhealthy food choice. Meat supplies our body with a range of minerals, vitamins and amino acids that our body cannot make itself. Lean cuts of meat are an excellent source of iron.

Sweet, sticky foods that adhere to the teeth, such as dry fruit or lollies have the potential to produce tooth decay. The consumption of high energy between meal snacks, large volumes of fruit juice, cordial and fruit juice drink or the consumption of high fat varieties of foods such as milk, cheese and meat together can contribute to developing obesity.

Young women in particular are prone to calcium deficiency as they, unfortunately, believe dairy products are fattening and therefore avoid including them in their diet. There are many excellent low fat sources of calcium rich foods that can be included in the diet such as flavoured milk, yoghurts, dairy desserts and custard.