PROTEIN
Both animal and plant foods provide protein, for example, meat, poultry, fish and seafood, eggs, tofu, legumes, beans, nuts and seeds. Proteins consumed in the diet are broken down and their constituent amino acids may be used in synthesizing new proteins for the body or used as a source of energy.1
Protein contributed an average of 18% of dietary energy for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (see Table 2.1). For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people the major food sources of protein included: Beef, sheep and pork (18% including mixed dishes), Poultry and feathered game (13% including mixed dishes), Mixed dishes where cereal is the major ingredient (10%), Regular breads, and bread rolls (9.0%), Dairy milk (6.0%) and Fish and seafood products and dishes (5.1%) (see Table 10.3).
Was there a difference by remoteness?
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in remote areas obtained more dietary energy from protein compared with those in non-remote areas (20% and 18% respectively). Meat, poultry and game products and dishes were the largest source of protein, contributing 49% for people in remote areas and 37% for people in non-remote areas.
How did this compare with non-Indigenous people?
Both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and non-Indigenous people had an average of 18% of dietary energy from protein. However, Beef, sheep and pork (including mixed dishes) was a more common source of protein for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (18%) than non-Indigenous people (15%).
ENDNOTES
1. National Health and Medical Research Council 2006, Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand, Canberra: National Health and Medical Research Council, <http://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/protein>, Last accessed 20/02/2015.
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