Eating well is important to help people stay healthy and independent in their senior years. The Meals on Wheels’ delivered meal consists of a soup, main course and dessert. If all the food is eaten, it will provide a little over a third (1/3) of nutrition and energy requirements for the day. However, it's important that other meals and snacks are eaten as well as the delivered meal. Keeping part of the meal for the evening is not recommended and could lead to poor nutrition for the day.

To meet all nutrition needs at least the following foods should be eaten every day:

• 4 serves of cereal or bread based foods.
  A serve could be a slice of bread, a bowl of breakfast cereal, a couple of cracker biscuits, or half a cup of rice or pasta.
• 2 to 3 serves of fruit.
  A serve could be an apple, a slice of watermelon, a half a cup of tinned fruit, a tablespoon of sultanas or a few stewed prunes.
• 4 to 5 serves of vegetables.
  A serve could be a cup of salad vegetables, or half a cup of cooked vegetables. Vegetables can be fresh, canned or frozen.
• 3 serves of dairy foods.
  A serve could be a cup of milk, a slice of cheese, a cup of custard or a tub of yoghurt.
• One serving of protein foods
  This could be ½ cup of mince, 2 small chops, 2 slices of roast, 2 small fillets of fish, ½ chicken fillet, 2 eggs or ½ cup of cooked dried beans (eg baked beans).

In 1999, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) also published dietary guidelines for older Australians which are summarised below.

1. Enjoy a wide variety of nutritious foods.
2. Keep active to maintain muscle strength and a healthy body weight.
3.  Eat at least three meals every day.
4. Care for your food, prepare and store it correctly.
5. Eat plenty of vegetables (including legumes) and fruit.
6. Eat plenty of cereals, breads and pastas.
7. Eat a diet low in saturated fat.
8. Drink adequate amounts of water and/or other fluids.
9. If you drink alcohol, limit your intake.
10. Choose foods low in salt and use salt sparingly.
11. Include foods high in Calcium.
12. Use added sugar in moderation.