DRAFT Australian Dietary Guidelines - Eat For Health

2.1.4.6 People in lower socioeconomic groups
In some urban centres, people in lower socioeconomic groups have less access to supermarkets
and greater access to fast food outlets than more advantaged groups [136, 137]. Supermarkets
generally offer a wider variety of food products, as well as fresh raw food.
In Australia, the cost of a nutritious diet has been estimated to account for about 40% of the
disposable income of welfare-dependent families, compared to only 20% of an average families’
disposable income. Health professionals should be aware of the budget challenges which healthy
food habits may pose for people who are welfare dependent and should note that substituting
generic brands for market brands can reduce the weekly food cost by about 13% [138]. Further
details regarding the association of equity issues and consumption of varied and nutritious diets
are included in Appendix 7.
2.1.4.7 People living in remote areas
The decreased availability of nutritious foods (such as fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrain bread
and low-fat milk products) in remote and regional areas in Australia has been described frequently.
The cost of nutritious foods in these areas is also over 30% higher than in major cities and may
impact on food security [30, 139-141].
2.1.4.8 Vegetarians
About 4% of respondents in the National Nutrition Survey 1995 described themselves as vegetarian
or vegan [44]. The food frequency questionnaire data recorded only 2% as consuming no animal
products, and a further 2% as restricting consumption of animal foods to fish or white meat [44].
Many more people eat vegetarian meals regularly or occasionally. Those following a strict
vegetarian or vegan diet need to choose a variety of protein sources throughout the day to get an
adequate mix of amino acids. Health professionals should encourage vegetarians to choose foods
carefully to ensure adequate intake of iron, zinc and vitamin B12 and to optimise the absorption
and bioavailability of iron, zinc and calcium [142].
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