YOUR STARTING POINT
Answer a few questions and we’ll show you how your week compares to the Australian movement guidelines, plus what your body needs to eat to match it.
The Australian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines set three separate targets for adults aged 18–64. Here’s where your week sits against each.
Protein
Carbohydrate
Fat
Your maintenance figure is an estimate from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, adjusted for how you move. Estimates assume an average body composition: if you carry more muscle or more body fat than average, your real number will differ.
This is the number most people get wrong, not because they don’t eat enough in total, but because of how it’s spread across the day.
At each meal, aim for
Quality matters alongside quantity. Complete proteins (meat, fish, eggs, dairy) contain all the essential amino acids, and leucine in particular is what signals your muscles to rebuild. Plant sources work too, but need more attention to total intake and variety.
This is an illustrative example, not a prescription. Please adapt it to any allergies, intolerances or medical conditions. Portions are indicative; the protein target beside each meal is the part that matters.
Protein and energy for every food below were taken from the Australian Food Composition Database. The Public Food Key identifies the exact entry used, so any figure here can be checked directly against the source.
| In your plan | Australian Food Composition Database | Food key |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast, cooked | Chicken, breast, lean flesh, grilled, no added fat | F002593 |
| Salmon fillet, cooked | Salmon, Atlantic, fillet, grilled, no added fat | F007826 |
| Barramundi fillet, cooked | Barramundi, aquacultured, fillet, grilled, no added fat | F000385 |
| Tuna in springwater, drained | Tuna, unflavoured, canned in water, drained | F009300 |
| Smoked salmon | Salmon, smoked, sliced | F007864 |
| Whole eggs | Egg, chicken, whole, fried, no fat added | F003718 |
| Boiled eggs | Egg, chicken, whole, hard-boiled | F003721 |
| Cottage cheese | Cheese, cottage | F002435 |
| Feta, crumbled | Cheese, fetta (feta) | F002452 |
| Halloumi, grilled | Cheese, haloumi (halloumi) | F002466 |
| Firm tofu | Tofu (soy bean curd), firm, as purchased | F009176 |
| Soy beans, boiled | Bean, soya (soy), dried, boiled, drained | F000459 |
| Lentils, cooked | Lentil, dried, boiled, drained | F005177 |
| Chickpeas, cooked | Chickpea, dried, boiled, drained | F002882 |
| Green peas, boiled | Pea, green, fresh, boiled, drained | F006535 |
| Soy milk | Soy beverage, regular fat (~3%), unfortified | F008721 |
| Quinoa, cooked | Quinoa, cooked in water, no added salt | F007596 |
| Brown rice, cooked | Rice, brown, boiled, no added salt | F007641 |
| Roast sweet potato | Sweet potato, orange flesh, peeled, baked | F009033 |
| Rolled oats | Oats, rolled, uncooked | F006143 |
| Wholegrain toast | Bread, mixed grain | F001621 |
| Sourdough toast | Bread, from rye flour, sour dough, toasted | F001451 |
| Rye crackers | Biscuit, savoury, from rye flour, crispbread | F001118 |
| Peanut butter | Peanut butter, smooth & crunchy, no added sugar or salt | F006579 |
| Almonds | Nut, almond, with skin, raw, unsalted | F006081 |
| Walnuts | Nut, walnut, raw, unsalted | F006116 |
| Banana | Banana, cavendish, peeled, raw | F000262 |
| Avocado | Avocado, hass, raw | F000162 |
| Olive oil | Oil, olive | F006177 |
Two exceptions. Protein powders and Greek yoghurt are branded products rather than generic foods, so their values come from product labels: Greek yoghurt from Chobani Natural Light Plain, protein powders from a 30 g unflavoured serve. Mixed vegetable sides (salad vegetables, roast vegetables, steamed greens) are not single foods and have no database entry; those amounts are estimates, and they contribute only a few grams of protein across the day.
