Dairy and Alternativesĭairy products, which include milk, cheese and yoghurts (or alternatives), are a great source of protein and calcium needed to develop strong healthy bones and teeth.īreast milk (or infant formula) is the best source of calcium for babies under the age of 12 months, and cow’s milk should not become their main milk drink during this time (although small quantities may be used to make foods such as custards and cereals). The recommended daily amount of breads and cereals for babies aged 7-12 months is 1.5 serves (1 serve is equivalent to 40g of bread or 20g of dried infant cereal). Grain foods provide nutrients including carbohydrates, protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals (including folate, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, iron, vitamin E, zinc, magnesium and phosphorus). Grains such as wheat, oats, rice, rye, barley, millet and corn are used to make a variety of different cereal foods such as breakfast cereals, bread, pasta and noodles – or they can be cooked and eaten whole.
FIVE KEY FOOD GROUPS FULL
This is because they are packed full of vitamins and dietary fibre, as well as energy to keep your little one growing well.īy the time a baby is 7-12 months old, it’s recommended they eat half a serve of fruit each day, with a full single serve being 20g. These bright and colourful foods are an essential part of a healthy diet – from full-grown adults right down to babies who are just starting to try new foods. Fruitįruits are delicious and full of variety, coming in all shapes and sizes. Best of all, they can be eaten in a variety of ways, whether they are cooked as part of a larger meal or enjoyed raw on their own.īy the time your baby is 7-12 months old, it’s recommended they eat between 1.5 to 2 serves of vegetables (and legumes/beans) each day. As well as legumes and beans, vegetables are an important part of everyone’s diet (including your baby’s) as they provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, dietary fibre and energy. Much like fruits, vegetables come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and colours. By eating the recommended amounts of a variety of foods from each of the five food groups, your baby should be able to meet their nutritional and energy needs. For example, all the foods in the dairy group are good sources of calcium and protein. What are the Five Food Groups?ĭifferent types of foods that provide similar key nutrients are grouped together to form five core food groups. You can find more information on baby nutrition and weaning in the articles: What is Weaning and When to Start Weaning. Offering your baby, in addition to their usual milk (breast milk or infant formula), a wide variety of fresh, healthy foods from all the five baby food groups is the best way to provide the nutrients and energy they need. This will help give them the right start by including a range of foods from the five core food groups.įrom around 6 months of age, babies start to need more energy and nutrients than breast milk (or infant formula) alone can supply in order to grow and develop properly. Let’s take a look at the five food groups and discover the incredible variety and the abundance of choice there is when eating from these groups.When starting to introduce solids into your baby’s diet (also known as weaning), making healthy choices for baby nutrition is important. For example, in the vegetables and legumes food group, orange vegetables such as carrots and pumpkins contain significantly more vitamin A than other vegetables such as white potatoes. It is also important to enjoy a variety of foods within each of the five food groups because different foods vary in the amount of the key nutrients that they provide. Take a look at Guideline 2 and discover the wide variety of choices within the five groups.
In fact, in some instances, you only need to eat some of the foods in each food group a couple of times a week. It is not necessary to eat from each food group at every meal. To meet the nutrient requirements essential for good health, you need to eat a variety from each of the five food groups daily, in the recommended amounts. For example, the key nutrients of the milk, yogurt, cheese and alternatives food group include calcium and protein, while the fruit group is a good source of vitamins, especially vitamin C. These five food groups make up the Australian guide to healthy eating (see right).įoods are grouped together because they provide similar amounts of the key nutrients of that food group. The key to eating well is to enjoy a variety of nutritious foods from each of the five food groups.
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