Draft Australian Dietary Guidelines (PDF, 3MB) - Eat For Health

A7.4.3.2. Aboriginal people living in urban areasOnly limited dietary data are available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups in urbanareas. High food costs, poor access to nutritious foods, convenience of take-away foods, budgetingissues, overcrowding, and poor knowledge and skills have been identified as barriers to healthyeating in these areas and can lead to food insecurity and overconsumption of energy-densenutrient-poor foods and drinks [1039, 1052-1054].A7.4.3.3 Recommendations specific to Aboriginal and Torres StraitIslander AustraliansThe general Australian dietary guidelines are relevant to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeoples [135, 232, 1055-1058]. In particular, increased consumption of vegetables and fruits couldbe expected to improve the health and nutritional status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanderpeople.Lactose intolerance after the age of three to five years may, however, be problematic in someareas or for some individuals [421, 422]. Alternative calcium sources such as chewing meat andfish bones, and consumption of small, soft fish bones (for example, in tinned salmon), and lowlactosedairy foods (such as matured cheese and yoghurt) are recommended in these cases.Consumption of traditional bush foods should be supported wherever possible, although intake ofsome high saturated fat marine animal foods, such as dugong, should be limited, as was the casetraditionally[1059]. In addition, there may be a problem with high levels of heavy metals in theorgan meat of turtle and dugong [1060].As with other population groups, it is important to encourage and support breastfeeding, toensure that children and adolescents receive sufficient nutritious food to grow and developnormally, and to ensure that the growth of young children is checked regularly.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people would benefit from:• eating traditional foods whenever possible• when choosing store foods, choosing those most like traditional bush foods, such as freshplant foods, wholegrain cereal foods, seafoods, and lean meat and poultry.A7.5 WomenWhere women are household heads in less advantaged urban and rural areas, there is increasedrisk of poverty, illiteracy and ill health [27, 28, 871].Women are particularly subject to anaemia between puberty and menopause because of folate oriron deficiency, and after menopause to osteoporosis and breast cancer. Pregnancy and lactationDRAFT Australian Dietary Guidelines- December 2011 187