Older Australians' 5 Day Meal Plan

Eating well as we age helps us stay energised, strong, and feeling our best. Good nutrition supports a healthy weight, strong bones, a healthy brain and a robust immune system. It also helps better manage any existing health-related conditions while reducing the risk of other diet-related diseases, like heart disease and diabetes. This meal plan is packed with simple, tasty recipes and follows the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating for Baby Boomers — making it easy to enjoy good food that nourishes your body every day!

Notes About This Meal Plan

This meal plan provides:

• An average of 8700 kilojoules per day. Your energy requirements vary depending on age, activity, health status, height, and weight. For personalised advice, seek the services of an Accredited Practising Dietitian.
• The minimum number of serves from each of the core food groups, averaged across the five days as recommended in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating* for older adults. It provides at least 3.5-4 serves of dairy per day. Note women 51+ years require 4 serves of dairy daily.
• This meal plan provides approximately 7 eggs over 5 days, providing an average of 5.7mcg vitamin D per day. This represents 57% of the Adequate Intake recommendations for adults aged 51-70 years and 38% for those aged 71+ years.
• Approximately 230mg of choline from eggs per day, representing 42-54% of the Adequate Intake recommendations for adult men and women respectively.
• A variety of different coloured vegetables and fruits to provide antioxidants needed to protect cells during ageing.

This meal plan has been developed by an Accredited Practising Dietitian at Food & Nutrition Australia. 

*Australian Guide to Healthy Eating, NHMRC, Commonwealth of Australia, 2013 http://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/guidelines/australian-guide-healthy-eating 

Want a version of this meal plan to print and use offline? Download the entire Baby Boomers meal plan by clicking on this link.

For easy access jump to:

• Day one
• Day two
• Day three
• Day four
• Day five

Day One

Breakfast

Curried Egg Scramble With Spinach and Roti Poached Eggs: Whisk together 2 eggs, ½ tsp curry powder and 2 tbsp coconut milk. Scramble and serve with 1 cup cooked cherry tomatoes and spinach + 1 toasted roti.

View Recipe

Lunch

Ploughman's Lunch: Plate up 2 slices (40g) cheese, 1 slice roast beef, celery sticks, olives, cherry tomatoes, chutney and serve with crusty bread. + coffee/tea with milk.

Snack

Yoghurt with Berries: 200g yoghurt with 1 cup berries.

Dinner

Salmon On Sweet Potato Mash: 100g pan fried salmon with 1 cup mixed greens e.g.
beans, broccoli + ½ cup sweet potato mash.

Dessert

Fruit Salad With Custard: 1 cup mixed fruit + ½ cup custard.

Day Two

Breakfast

Wholegrain Cereal With Banana: ⅔ cup high-fibre wholegrain cereal + ½ cup milk topped with 1 sliced banana.

Lunch

Tuna And Salad Wrap: Spread a wholemeal wrap with mayonnaise and top with 100g canned, drained tuna, 40g grated cheese, and plenty of salad. Roll up and enjoy.

Snack

Crackers, Nuts & Dip: 3 wholegrain crispbreads, with hommus dip and a handful of almonds. + hot chocolate made with 1 cup milk.

Dinner

Spinach Lentil Dhal With Eggs: Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan. Add 1 chopped onion and 2 crushed garlic cloves. When soft, add 2 tbsp each of tomato paste and curry powder. When aromatic, add 1½ cups dried red lentils and 4 cups vegetable stock. Simmer for 20 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Stir through 3 cups spinach and ¾ cup coconut milk. Break 6 eggs on top of dhal. Cover, cook for 6-8 minutes until whites are set and yolks soft. Drizzle with extra coconut milk, garnish with coriander, and serve with naan.

Recipe serves 4.

View Recipe

Dessert

Honey, Pear & Ricotta: Slice one pear and gently cook in a small amount of water. When soft, drain and serve with ½ cup whipped ricotta and a dash of honey.

 Day Three

Breakfast

Over-Easy Eggs: Serve 2 eggs on 2 slices wholegrain toast with a side of mushrooms and spinach. + 1 café latte.

View Recipe

Lunch

Lentil And Veg Soup: Chop celery, carrot, potato, garlic and onion. Stir fry in a large pot with olive oil. Add canned, drained lentils. Boil gently until cooked and serve with a small wholegrain dinner roll.

Snack

Fruit & Cheese: Sliced pear, raisins, cheese and nuts.Celery sticks with hummus and 2 tbsp sauerkraut.

Dinner

Beef Stir-Fry With Rice: Stir fry lean beef strips (100g per person) with plenty of sliced vegetables (carrot, onion, broccoli, snow peas, capsicum). Add soy, oyster and sweet chilli sauce to taste. Serve with 1 cup cooked brown rice per person.

Dessert

Mango Fool: Puree 1 mango, stir in 200g thick Greek yoghurt and add honey to sweeten.

Day Four

Breakfast

Breakfast Smoothie: Combine 1 cup yoghurt, with ¼ cup oats, 1 cup berries and a dash of honey. Blend until smooth.

Lunch

Freekah Salad With Eggs: Combine 1 cup cooked freekah with 1 sliced red onion, 2 sliced celery sticks, 2 cups chopped parsley and mint, ⅔ cup chopped pistachios and almonds plus ¼ cup currants. Make a dressing in a jug by combining 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1½ tbsp pomegranate molasses and 1 tbsp honey. Pour ⅔ of the dressing over the freekah mix and stir to combine. Spoon onto a serving platter and arrange 5 halved, boiled eggs on top. Drizzle with remaining dressing. 

Recipe serves 4.

View Recipe

Snack

Cheese, Carrot & Crackers: 3 wholegrain crispbreads, carrot sticks and 40g hard cheese.

Dinner

Roast Chicken & Veg: Tofu & Noodle Stir-Fry: Place chopped potato, carrot, beetroot and pumpkin in a shallow oven proof dish. Drizzle with olive oil and herbs to taste. Roast in oven until cooked. Serve with 120g piece of ready-roasted chicken.

Dessert

Banana Custard Pot: Layer banana slices in a small bowl or glass. Add a spoonful of custard and repeat layers. Top with crushed ginger biscuit (optional).

Day Five

Breakfast

Fluffy Pancakes With Fruit: Mix 1½ cups plain flour, 1 tbsp baking powder, 1 cup milk, 3 eggs, 50g butter, 1 tbsp caster sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract to make a pancake batter. Cook ¼ of a cup batter at a time and serve with sliced banana, blueberries, yoghurt and honey.

View Recipe

Lunch

Turkey & Salad Sandwich: Made with wholegrain bread, cranberry sauce, sliced turkey, lettuce, tomato, cucumber and cheese.

Snack

Yoghurt & Granola Parfait: Layer 200g vanilla yoghurt with ¼ cup granola in a glass.

Dinner

Stuffed Capsicum: Cut a capsicum in half, scoop out seeds and fill with a mix of cooked quinoa or rice, black beans, minced beef, corn kernels, onion, garlic and diced tomato. Top with grated cheese and bake until soft and cooked through.

Dessert

Cinnamon Apple With Walnut: Slice one apple and cook in a small amount of butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and when soft, place in a bowl. Top with ricotta, honey and chopped walnuts.

Learn More About Eggs And Nutrition

Not sure whether eggs may be beneficial in your situation? Learn more about how eggs may help serve your nutritional needs today.

Discover our super easy & delicious meal plans designed to help you achieve a healthy and balanced diet. Check out our weight loss or lowering cholesterol meal plan today!