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

2.1.4.6 People in lower socioeconomic groupsIn some urban centres, people in lower socioeconomic groups have less access to supermarketsand greater access to fast food outlets than more advantaged groups [136, 137]. Supermarketsgenerally 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 thedisposable 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 healthyfood habits may pose for people who are welfare dependent and should note that substitutinggeneric brands for market brands can reduce the weekly food cost by about 13% [138]. Furtherdetails regarding the association of equity issues and consumption of varied and nutritious dietsare included in Appendix 7.2.1.4.7 People living in remote areasThe decreased availability of nutritious foods (such as fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrain breadand 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 mayimpact on food security [30, 139-141].2.1.4.8 VegetariansAbout 4% of respondents in the National Nutrition Survey 1995 described themselves as vegetarianor vegan [44]. The food frequency questionnaire data recorded only 2% as consuming no animalproducts, 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 strictvegetarian or vegan diet need to choose a variety of protein sources throughout the day to get anadequate mix of amino acids. Health professionals should encourage vegetarians to choose foodscarefully to ensure adequate intake of iron, zinc and vitamin B12 and to optimise the absorptionand bioavailability of iron, zinc and calcium [142].DRAFT Australian Dietary Guidelines- December 2011 31