ALARMING MOVE AWAY FROM PLANTS BASED FOODS AND REDUCED VARIETY IN DIETS Exercise levels in the healthy and population with chronic conditions, also cause for concern
With
Julie-Ann Yap
Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and Nutritionist &
Founder, Julzhealth
Drew Harrisberg
Exercise Physiologist & Diabetes Educator &
Founder, Drew’s Daily Dose Podcast
SEGMENT
Filmed in Sydney | October 2026
Australian Dietary Guidelines (https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/australian-dietary-guidelines-1-5) recommend enjoying a wide variety of nutritious foods every day, including plenty of vegetables of different types and colours, and fruit.1 Yet recently released National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NNPAS) data show fewer than one in four people (23.1 per cent) met the recommendation for fruit intake on a usual basis, and just 4.3 per cent met the recommendation for vegetables, legumes and beans ( https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/food-and-nutrition/consumption-food-groups-australian-dietary-guidelines/2023)
Exercise physiologist and diabetes educator Drew Harrisberg and Accredited Practising Dietitian Julie-Ann Yap have highlighted concerns about Australians’ physical activity levels and dietary habits in interviews with Australian Health Journal.
Harrisberg raised concerns about insufficient physical activity and strength training, alongside poor adherence to dietary guidelines. He also highlighted the importance of understanding how different forms of exercise affect blood glucose levels for people living with diabetes,
“So as a population, we’re probably not moving enough, and the modalities that we’re doing is also not quite optimised,” Harrisberg said.
Harrisberg himself was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 21, and made it his mission to better understand and manage his health by making positive changes to the way he lives, eats and moves, as well as the mindset he brings to everyday life.
Drew is also a spokesperson for new Australian consumer research revealing nearly half of Australians (47 per cent) eat four or fewer colours of fruits and vegetables each week. “The new research reveals a clear gap between perception and reality. While seven in 10 (71 per cent) Australians feel confident that their diet includes a variety of plant foods, nearly half (47 per cent) consume four or fewer colours of fruits and vegetables each week,” (doi:10.1155/2019/2125070) said Drew.
Yap highlighted declining plant-food consumption and variety, with cost-of-living pressures influencing Australians’ food choices. Reduced consumption of vegetables, fruit, beans and legumes can affect fibre and micronutrient intake.
Both Yap and Harrisberg, citing Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) figures highlight a substantial gap between Australians’ dietary habits and national dietary guidelines, particularly for vegetables, legumes and beans.
“Two concerns that I’m seeing is that people are eating less variety of plant foods and also less overall plant foods,” Yap said.
Both interviews highlight the importance of sustainable dietary habits, informed nutritional choices and appropriate physical activity to support long-term health and wellbeing.
Source: Adapted from transcript and Viva Communications media release for eimele (October 2026)
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The role of genomic screening in transforming public health
Dr Jane Tiller is a lawyer, genetic counsellor and public health researcher. She is Ethical, Legal & Social Adviser in Public Health Genomics at Monash University, and a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Grant holder. Jane is passionate about the use of genomics to prevent disease, and in delivering equitable access to preventive genetic information at the population level. She is co-lead of DNA Screen, a world-first study piloting the offer of preventive DNA screening to the Australian adult population. DNA Screen has tested over 10,000 young people for genetic high risk of medically actionable conditions such as cancer and heart disease, finding about 2% of participants had genetic high risk. Jane is leading efforts to secure Commonwealth Government funding to expand the DNA Screen program, with the eventual goal of the development of a public health population screening program for disease prevention based on high genetic risk.
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Recognising service in health regulation
In April 2023, Professor John Skerritt retired from his position of Deputy Secretary Health Products Regulation Group, a role he has been in since 2012. During his time at the TGA he had line responsibility for over 1200 staff involved in the regulation of therapeutic goods, regulation of gene technology and industrial chemicals and control of drug import, export and production.
At this year’s ARCS 2023 Conference, ARCS Australia CEO Dr Shanny Dyer paid tribute to Professor Skerritt and his service to the Australian health industry. She led a tribute with fellow industry heads, Elizabeth de Somer, CEO, Medicines Australia, Anne Harris, Managing Director, Pfizer Australia & New Zealand, Deon Schoombie, CEO, Consumer Healthcare Products Australia, Ian Burgess, CEO, Medical Technology Association of Australia and Arthur Brandwood, President ARCS Australia.
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Generosity of spirit in teaching
The Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence is considered one of the most prestigious awards in biomedical research in Australia and is highly sought after by researchers in the field.
In 2022, Professor Matthew Kiernan was the recipient of the Ramaciotti Medal for Excellence and the associated $50,000 award.
Australian Health Journal spoke with Professor Kiernan to hear about his journey in medicine and science to try and uncover and understand diseases and his generosity of spirit to pass on what he has learnt.
