Australian Diet - The Good and The Bad

When we think Australian diet we tend to think roast beef, vegetables and pudding. But there's much more to it.

Fast food is a large part of Australian foods. Though, with obesity on the rise people are turning in droves to healthier options.

The Aboriginal Diet

Before European settlement Aboriginals fed on native animals, fruit and vegetables growing in the bush. Seafood was the main item for Indigenous Australians living along the coast.

They ate plant food raw and grilled meats or fish on the coals or in the ash, wrapped in leaves for extra flavour. A very balanced and healthy diet. Not any more, as today's westernised diet includes sugars, fats, soft drinks.

The Western Diet

With the British colonists came the roast beef, with boiled potatoes or cabbage and pudding. And these food items ruled for a long time. They are still doing great today as some of Australia favorite foods during the cooler winter days.

With more and more people coming from different cultural backgrounds, food habits and Australian cooking recipes diversified. There is a whole new food culture.

People have increased their eating choices, but they also increased their intake of processed foods that lack essential nutrients.

The Fast Food

As everywhere else, fast food is a convenience food. Cheap, quick and easy to get, very tasty and...you're on the go.

A lot of people are addicted to it. Busy lives, lack of time, and other things to do that are more interesting than cooking. But with fast food comes the biggest killer of modern life, obesity with all its consequences: heart disease, cholesterol.

It's ok to eat fast food when you are really rushing and do not have an alternative, but not as an everyday food.

Many people have recognised the drawbacks and have turned to much healthier food habits.

Australian Diet - the Healthy Options

Australian food industry has all the right elements to support healthy lifestyles: fresh produce, an incredible variety of vegetables and fruit, plenty fish and seafood.

australian diet - yummy balmain bugs The Balmain bugs are yummy lobsters, highly sought after in Sydney

There are more and more fresh produce growers and farmers who have turned to organic production.

Magazines, television shows and books promote a healthy Australian diet based on the daily use of all the good greens, fruits and pulses to replace processed stuff, and on cooking your own dishes instead of buying ready made food.

If you love food here are more tips about it:

Enjoy it!