ENJOY A WIDE VARIETY OF NuTRITIOuS FOODS
55Guideline 2
Children and adolescents
The demands of growth increase the need for iron, protein and many nutrients found in this food group.
Women of child-bearing age
Menstrual loss doubles the iron requirements of young women compared to young men,^36 although that
increased requirement is lessened for women taking the oral contraceptive pill. Good food sources of iron are
particularly important for this group. lean red meats and some types of seafood are excellent sources of iron.^9
Poultry, legumes, tofu, nuts and eggs also provide some iron. For pregnant women, additional sources of iron
may be required and an appropriate health professional should be consulted.
Older people
lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, legumes/beans and nuts and seeds are nourishing foods for older adults and
should be included in the diet as a ready source of protein to help maintain muscle mass.^9 People with poor dentition
should be advised to choose forms of food that are easier to eat, such as softer foods, soups and casseroles.
Whole nuts may not be well tolerated where there is a problem with dentition. In these cases, the inclusion of
ground nuts, nut pastes or nut meal in dishes may be more appropriate.
People with vegetarian or vegan dietary patterns
Nuts and seeds and legumes/beans are important foods for people who choose vegetarian or vegan dietary
patterns and meals without meat as they can provide an alternative source of nutrients. For several nutrients,
including iron, calcium and vitamin B 12 , animal foods are highly bioavailable sources and care needs to be taken
to ensure a variety of alternatives if these foods are excluded.
For lacto-ovo vegetarian diets, eggs provide vitamin B 12 and milk, yoghurt and cheese products can supply calcium
and vitamin B 12. The Food Modelling System used a ratio of a 5:1:1 ‘legume: egg: nuts and seeds’ mixed food
group. As comparable data was not available for Australia, this was based on the united States Department
of Agriculture (uSDA) recommendations for proportions of these foods that would provide an adequate amino
acid balance.^9 As no Australian national data were available about choices within food categories for lacto-ovo
vegetarians, the same proportions within food groups (e.g. for vegetables, fruit, cereals) were used as for the
equivalent omnivore group.
For pregnant women and children consuming vegetarian diets, it should be noted that iron was limiting in the
diets as modelled and additional sources of iron would be essential to meet their requirements.^9 Vitamin B 12
is only available from animal food sources and supplementation may be needed by people with vegetarian or
vegan dietary patterns.
Food safety
Fish that have been exposed to heavy metals, dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from
industrial pollution of marine and freshwater environments can present a toxicological food safety risk to human
biological systems if consumed in sufficiently large amounts. Although fish caught in specific locations could lead
to high human exposure – for example, west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge^573 – exposure in Australia is generally
low.5 74 The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the united Nations (FAO) and WHO held an expert consultation
on this issue and concluded in general that the disadvantages of foregone health benefits from fish consumption
outweigh the risks of increased exposure to heavy metals, dioxins and PCBs, although it was acknowledged that
close monitoring and evaluation of the fish supply and dietary exposure is needed.^575