The importance of eating well

You may know that eating well is important for your overall health and wellbeing, but not be aware of all the benefits.

What are the benefits of good nutrition?

Good nutrition can:

• give you more energy and strength
• help you achieve or maintain a healthy weight
• improve your mood
• help prevent or reduce the risk of some conditions, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and even some cancers.

What to eat

The Australian Dietary Guidelines provide advice on eating for health and wellbeing for the general population. They were developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).

Below we outline the key recommendations from the guidelines. Following these guidelines will help ensure you eat well and may reduce your risk of developing some cancers. It is also important to be as physically active as possible.

What to drink

Fluids are essential for the body to function. All the organs, tissues and cells in your body need fluids to keep working properly.

As a general guide, you should aim to drink at least 8–10 glasses of fluid per day. Most of this should be plain water, but fluid from soups, smoothies, milk, fruit juices, or ice cubes is also good. Tea and coffee also provide fluid, but they may cause you to urinate (pee) more often.

Alcohol may lead to weight gain and increase the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and several cancers, such as bowel and breast. When it comes to cancer risk, there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.

For healthy people who choose to drink alcohol, Cancer Council recommends you follow the NHMRC guidelines and have no more than 10 standard drinks a week and no more than 4 standard drinks on any one day.

→ READ MORE: General guidelines for healthy eating

Video: How to eat well after a cancer diagnosis