A healthy diet helps to prevent and manage health risk factors such as overweight and obesity.

The reality is that many people are not meeting the Australian Dietary Guidelines:

• 56% of adults did not meet the guideline of 2 serves of fruit daily in 2022, an increase from 49% in 2017–18.
• 94% of adults did not meet the guideline of 5 serves of vegetables daily in 2022, which has remained stable since 2007–08.¹

While often overlooked, working on your nutrition is one way to become healthier and perhaps even help with chronic pain.²

For people experiencing chronic pain, some nutritional tips from Elma and colleagues (2022) included:

• Fruits and vegetables: Choose frozen fruits and vegetables to reduce preparation time and effort, food waste, and increase variety. Nutrients are retained through freezing.
• Breads, cereals and grains: Swap bread, pasta and rice for wholegrain options. Swap high GI foods for low GI options.
• Meat and meat alternatives: Swap processed meats for lean meats. Choose tinned fish and legumes to save time and effort with meal preparation.
• Dairy and dairy alternatives: Choose reduced fat options where possible. Pre-sliced or grated cheese will reduce energy and time needed to prepare meals. Individual tubs of natural or Greek yoghurt (no added sugar) are easy snacks.
• Healthy fats and oils: Swap cooking oil for olive or canola oil.²

As always, consult with a trusted health professional for advice specific to you.

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References

1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2024) Australia’s health 2024: in brief, AIHW, Australian Government, accessed 04 September 2024.
2. Elma et al. (2022) (PMID: 36233817)
3. Image source: www.marketeeringgroup.com