Beef remains the perfect side to salad

While Australia's agricultural industry salivates over the red meat industry with Beef Australia 2018 underway in Rockhampton this week, figures show vegetables, fruits and nuts should be the real stars of the plate.

According to the Australian Dietary Guidelines 2013, most Australians need more vegetables and fruit, particularly green, orange and red vegetables, such as broccoli, carrots, capsicum and sweet potatoes, and leafy vegetables like spinach, and legumes/beans like lentils.

Most references to meat consumption within the guidelines are for "lean meats", plus poultry and fish.

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Curiously, within the list it says: "Many Australian men would benefit from eating less red meat."

Red meat also takes a hit under the "Most Australians need to eat less" heading with meat pies and sausage rolls the first two listed.

However fried hot chips and potato crisps also get a mention as things to reduce.

Recommendations within the Australian Dietary Guidelines are based on scientific evidence, developed after looking at good quality research.

The document is a strong advocate for an increase in vegetable and fruit consumption within Aussie diets.

"Vegetables, legumes/beans and fruit provide vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre and many hundreds of phytonutrients (nutrients naturally present in plants)," the guide says.

"Most vegetables, legumes/beans and fruit are low in energy (kilojoules) relative to many other foods, and may help ‘fill us up’ to avoid excessive weight gain too.

"Dietary patterns high in vegetables, legumes/beans and fruit can help protect us against chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke and some types of cancers.

"They may also prevent excessive weight gain."

The guidelines don't dismiss beef consumption but do give warnings around it.

"Lean red meat is high in iron and can be an important food, especially for some groups including infants, children, women (particularly when pregnant) and athletes," the document says.

"However, regular consumption of larger quantities of red meat may be associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer."

That's something the beef industry's research and marking body, Meat and Livestock Australia, carefully clarifies on its own website.

"There is no reason to believe that eating beef and lamb as part of a healthy, balanced diet and lifestyle in 100 to 200g portion sizes (raw weight), three to four times a week as recommended in the Australian Dietary Guidelines, will increase risk of cancer," the MLA website says.

"Children and women are eating less than the recommended amount of red meat and one in five women have some form of iron deficiency."