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

2.4 Lean meat and poultry, fish, eggs, nuts andseeds, and legumes/beans2.4.1 Setting the sceneLean meats and poultry, fish, eggs and plant-based alternatives such as legumes/beans, nuts andseeds are an important component of Australian cuisine, culture and lifestyle. The ‘lean meat andalternatives’ food group is diverse, both nutritionally and biologically. The foods in this group havetraditionally been seen as ‘protein-rich’, but they also provide a wide variety of other nutrientswhich may be more important in the typical high-protein Australian diet. Important nutrientsinclude iodine, iron, zinc, vitamins, especially B12, and essential fatty acids including long chainomega-3 fatty acids. All seafood contains long chain omega-3s. Grass-fed meats, poultry and someeggs are also sources of these essential fatty acids. Evidence of the health benefits of lean meatsand alternatives is consistently recognised in international dietary guidelines [36, 37, 143, 144].Processed and cured meats can be high in added salt and saturated fat and are not recommendedas substitutes for unprocessed meat. Moderate amounts of lean poultry and eggs can be includedin the diet within the overall recommended quantities for this whole food group. Eggs are analternative to meat, a relatively inexpensive source of protein and are versatile foods. Note thatalthough pork is not considered red meat for marketing purposes in Australia, it is classified as redmeat in the international literature, and so has been considered as red meat for the purpose of theGuidelines [10].Fish and other seafood are central foods in the cuisines of many traditional cultural and religiousgroups, and are popular foods in Australian society. Fish is nutritious, providing energy (kilojoules),protein, selenium, zinc, iodine, vitamins A and D (some species only), and long-chain omega-3 fattyacids. Evidence of the health benefits of fish consumption is consistently recognised in internationaldietary guidelines [36, 37, 143, 144].Nuts and seeds are rich in energy (kilojoules) and nutrients, reflective of their biological role innourishing plant embryos to develop into plants. In addition to protein and dietary fibre, theycontain significant levels of unsaturated fat, although this varies within the category. Nuts are alsorich in polyphenols and micronutrients, including folate, several valuable forms of vitamin E,selenium, magnesium and other minerals. They are useful alternatives to meat, fish and eggs, andare particularly important in plant-based, vegetarian and vegan meals and diets.Legumes/beans, including lentils, tofu and tempe, provide a valuable and cost efficient source ofprotein, iron, some essential fatty acids, soluble and insoluble dietary fibre and micronutrients.They are valuable inclusions in the diet, and are especially useful for people who consume plantbasedor vegetarian diets or meals [10].DRAFT Australian Dietary Guidelines- December 2011 51