ABSTRACT
This paper discusses the nutritional value of the native food plants of the arid and semiarid regions of Australia, the objective being to highlight the more "nutritionally desirable" species. We have drawn on the data published recently by ourselves and others as well as unpublished findings. Our laboratory has been analyzing the macronutrients (water, protein, fat, carbohydrate, dietary fiber) and some micronutrients (Na, K, Mg, Ca, Fe, Zn, Cu, vitamin C and thiamin) in single samples of Aboriginal bushfoods for the past four years. The samples are usually collected and prepared by Aboriginal people living semitraditional lifestyles.
