Sucrose is a disaccharide, meaning a short-chain carbohydrate made up of two single carbohydrate units. One sucrose molecule contains one molecule of glucose and one molecule of fructose bound together. Sucrose is one of the most common sugars available, and is also known as ‘table sugar’- the kind you buy at the shops to use [Read more…]
“What food group does couscous fit into and how much of it should you eat?”
Couscous is made from semolina, a product of durum wheat, so it fits into the grains and cereals group along with bread, pasta, rice and other grain-based products. As a general guide, ½ a cup of cooked grains is equal to one serving from the grains and cereals group. The recommended number of serves per [Read more…]
“How much meat should kids eat each day?”
The latest dietary guidelines recommend the daily intake of foods from the meat and meat alternatives group to equal 1 serve for children aged 2-3 years, 1 ½ serves for children aged 4-8 years and 2 ½ serves for children aged 9 and over. A serving size of food from this group is equal to [Read more…]
“They say that kids need to drink more milk but mine only like milk with Milo added to it. Is this bad for them?”
Milk is a great source of calcium, which kids need to help them grow strong healthy bones. Depending on the age of your children, it’s recommended they get between 1 ½ – 3 ½ serves of milk products per day, with a serve being equal to one 250ml cup of milk. If milo is made [Read more…]
“My doctor told me that I’m underweight and need to gain 5 kg. What is a healthy way to do this?”
First work out whether you are eating all the recommended number of serves from each of the five foods groups, based on your age and physical activity level. This information can be found at the Eat for Health website www.eatforhealth.gov.au. Identify which food groups you need to eat more of, increase your intake of these [Read more…]
“My son is 7 years old and eats a lot of fruit, like 4 apples a day. I’m just wondering is this bad for him?”
Many parents struggle with getting their kids to eat fruit so it’s great if your son likes to eat fruit. Although fruit is healthy for us, even having too much of healthy foods can turn into an unhealthy habit. Having too much of one food group may mean you’re not getting enough of another. For [Read more…]
