How to make your diet more sustainable, healthy or cheap – without giving up nutrients
Brad Ridoutt, Principal Research Scientist, CSIRO Agriculture, from the CSIRO talks about how to make your diet more sustainable, healthy or cheap – without giving up nutrients.
He has sought to raise awareness of nutritional differences between foods by producing a new index specific to Australia. It aims to help Australians make better informed dietary choices and get the nutrients recommended for good health.
“To date, comprehensive nutritional information about foods eaten in Australia has been found only in databases used by scientists and nutrition professionals.
For the average consumer, packaging on unprocessed foods – such as fruits and vegetables, fresh meats and some cheese – doesn’t usually include nutrition information.
Consumers can consult the nutrition information panel when buying processed foods, but only some nutrients are shown.
I hope my research may prompt manufacturers produce more nutrient-dense foods or those formulated to meet the nutrient needs of a particular subgroup.
In future, I hope the index will also be translated into a user-friendly format or app that everyday Australians can consult, to ensure their changing food preferences result in a healthier choice,” says Ridoutt.