How to make healthy food choices

It’s likely you’ve heard the advice that we all need to eat healthy, maintain a balanced diet or eat better foods – but how exactly do we make healthy food choices? Learn the benefits of eating well and get a step-by-step guide to making healthy food choices.

This can help if:

• you want a balanced diet, but you don’t know where to start

• you know your diet isn’t great, and you need motivation to change

• you're looking for a healthier lifestyle.

Why eat well?

It seems almost too simple to be true, but eating well really is good for you. When you maintain a balanced diet:

• you can experience more energy to get through the day 

• you feel healthier and stronger

• your immune system will be more resilient

• you can think more clearly and handle stress more effectively

• you lower your risk of diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Healthy eating is all about balance

A balanced diet means eating a variety of mostly healthy foods in moderation. There’s a big difference between eating well and becoming obsessive about calories, portion size and ‘clean eating’. Being healthy isn’t just about the way you look or how much you weigh – it’s about feeling good and taking care of yourself.

Ideally, no food is off-limits when you maintain a healthy diet – it’s just a question of how often you eat it, how much of it you eat and, for those with digestive issues, prioritising what you’re able to eat safely. So, don’t overthink it, and definitely don’t feel guilty if you eat a piece of cake or a cookie occasionally.

Trying to remember what’s healthy can feel a little overwhelming at the start. To make it easier, the Australian Guide for Healthy Eating food chart breaks it all down for you. It lists foods and drinks that are healthy to have regularly and what’s better to have in moderation. This doesn’t mean you never eat the ‘sometimes’ food, just to eat these less regularly than the healthier everyday options. Save the food chart to reference when you need it.

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Three important food facts

1. Drink water

Our bodies are made of up to 60 per cent water, but how much water do you actually drink in a day? When you feel thirsty, the best choice is water. Treat soft drinks, energy drinks and even juices as an occasional treat.

2. Don’t fear fats

Fats are part of a healthy diet, but not all fats are the same. Unsaturated fats, like those found in avocados, nuts and olive oil, should play an important part in your diet. Avoid saturated and trans-fats, which are usually found in butter, fried food, pastries and cakes, as much as possible.

3. Cut down on sugar

In 2015, the World Health Organization made a strong recommendation that adults should reduce their sugar intake to less than 10 per cent of their total daily calories. As a rough guide, this means less than ten teaspoons of sugar per day. Just one can of soft drink contains this amount of sugar, so you can see the need to keep a close eye on the sweet stuff.

How to change your eating habits

If you want to change your eating habits, it’s important to have the right attitude and mindset. Here are a few tips on how to approach eating well:

• Don’t try to change your eating habits all at once. Making gradual changes will help you avoid overwhelm and stick with the changes you make.

• Start with achievable goals, like having one piece of fruit daily or adding salad or veggies to a meal.

• Experiment with different healthy foods and see what you like and how you can make it more enjoyable. Remember, ‘healthy’ food doesn’t mean ‘flavourless’ food.

• Allow yourself occasional treats. You’re more likely to stick with eating well if you don’t feel deprived.