Is it true that you can't get all the vitamins and minerals you need from a normal diet?

This answer is brought to you by many of the Australian nutrition professionals who regularly contribute to a nutrition email discussion group.

Nutrition science is relatively 'mature' in the area of essential nutrients, so that it is unlikely that there are many (if any) essential vitamins and minerals that are as yet undiscovered.

Humans, with our physiology based on an omnivorous diet (even if we decide to be vegetarian), need to eat a variety of foods each day to make sure we get all of the vitamins and minerals our bodies require. No one food provides them all, but a healthy diet based on appropriate quantities of meat (for omnivores) or meat alternatives, dairy products, fruits, vegetables and cereal foods will provide you with all of the known essential vitamins and minerals.

The Healthy Eating Pyramid and the "Australian Guide to Healthy Eating" provide advice on what kinds of foods contribute to a healthy diet. These eating guides recommend that you choose foods from each of the main food groups every day. These food groups are:

1. bread, cereals, rice, pasta, noodles

2. vegetables

3. fruit

4. milk, yogurt, cheese

5. meat, fish, poultry, eggs, nuts, legumes.

They also recommend that you eat plenty of plant foods (bread, cereal, rice, pasta, noodles, vegetables, legumes and fruit), moderate amounts of animal foods (milk, yogurt, cheese, meat, fish, poultry, eggs) and small amounts of all other foods, including oils and margarines.

For more information Nutrition Australia recommends

• The Healthy Eating Pyramid

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[Date issued: February 1999]

Disclaimer: This material is provided on the basis that it constitutes advice of a general nature only. It is not intended to replace the advice of a physician or a dietitian.