Getting started with healthy eating

Your body needs different nutrients to stay healthy. One way to do this is to swap less healthy food choices for healthier ones. For example, you could:  

• Swap a pastry or biscuit for a piece of fruit.  

• Try adding one extra type of vegetable to your plate. Over time, you could work towards filling half your plate with vegetables.   

• Make homemade chips instead of store-bought hot chips. 

Here are some other ways to help you make swaps that support your health and wellbeing.  

• Use the Health Star Rating when shopping to see if your food swap is a healthier choice.   

• Explore healthier low-cost meal and snack alternatives. 

• Learn more about using food and drink labels to make healthier choices. 

Some ways of cooking are healthier than others, so it can help to change the way you cook. For example, you could try steaming your food rather than coating in batter or grilling rather than frying. 

Making some small changes to your everyday life can help you build healthier eating habits. Here are some ideas to get you started. 

• Eat some vegetables before your dinner.  

• Take fruit as a snack when you go out.   

• Keep unhealthy food out of sight.   

• Have fruit and vegetables cut up and ready to eat in the fridge.  

• Take a refillable water bottle with you when out and about.  

Learn more about creating healthy habits.

Spending time preparing healthy snacks in advance can help you cut down on less healthy ones. Healthy snack ideas include:  

Before you do a food shop, consider the following suggestions.  

• Try to spend most of your food budget on the 5 food groups.  

• You could buy frozen and canned fruit and vegetables, smaller amounts of lean meat, skinless chicken and fish such as inexpensive cuts of meat - chuck steak which is great for casseroles, or canned fish such as tuna and salmon.  

• Learn more about storing fresh food to help it last longer and reduce your food waste. 

• You might like to bulk up your meals by adding legumes, extra vegetables and grains. You could add these to soups, casseroles, salads and other healthy recipes.  

• Try to stick to your shopping list. Three in 5 Australians (60%) are likely to buy unhealthy food and drinks when they’re on sale.  

Find more budget-friendly shopping tips. 

Consider these time-saving food tips.  

• Prepare lunch the night before. This can be much cheaper than buying lunch out. Leftovers can make for a tasty lunch.  

• Buy pre-cut, frozen or canned vegetables to save time chopping ingredients.  

• Plan for cook-free nights by making a bigger batch of your favourite healthy meals and freezing portions. You can warm these up as you need them. Or make a meal from healthy canned ingredients, such as a salad made from canned vegetables like four bean mix with reduced salt, if available, and a protein such as canned tuna or salmon.  

Consider working towards healthy eating as a family and role model the behaviours you would like to see. Children tend to follow the example of their parents and carers. Every small step you take to be more healthy as a family helps.

Learn more about creating healthy habits.

Making food and drinks with your kids can help them learn important life skills and build healthy eating habits. It can also be a great way to spend time as a family. You could try to plan one night this week to cook and share a meal together.  

See how else you can involve your kids in the kitchen.

As a parent or carer, you want the best for your kids. You can help set them up for lifelong wellbeing by encouraging healthy habits. For example, you can try to set some expectations about what your family eats for meals and snacks. But also accept that kids can decide if they’ll eat and how much.

When you can, think about rewarding your kids with things other than food. Consider something like a trip to the park or more time getting active with friends. Rewards like these are fun and also support your child’s healthy growth and development.