EATWELL PLATE – ACTIVITY IDEASSHEET 1

WHICH FOODS IN WHICH GROUPS?• Which food card belongs in which group? Hand out cards

or scatter them on the EaTWEll PlaTE. Which are in the wrong group? arrange them in their proper groups.

• Make new cards for foods (e.g. combination foods) not included in this pack. Where do they belong?

ROUND THE CLOCK• Deal out all the cards to the different players/teams.

The aim of the game is to use up all your cards.

Player 1 puts a food card on its correct food group.

Player 2 can either put a card on the same group, or on the next group round (clockwise).

Player 3 does the same etc.

• a player who can’t put a correct card down in the same or the next group misses their go, so the next player has a chance to put a card down.

If nobody can go, the last person to lay down a card can start again.

The EATWELL PLATE• Whatarethe5foodgroups?Namesomefoodsthatbelong

ineachofthegroups.

• Whicharethe2biggestgroups,thatyoushouldeatmostfrom?Whatfractionaretheyofthewholeplate?(Eachisaboutathird).

• Oftheotherthree,whichisthelargest,thenextlargest,andthesmallest–thatyoushouldeatleastfrom?(Togetherthesemakeupthelastthird.)

• Whatarethemostimportantnutrientsineachgroup?Whyaretheyimportantforhealth?

A QUESTION OF BALANCE• UsingtheEaTWEll PlaTE,analyseamealthatyou’veeatentoday(e.g.breakfast,schooldinner,packedlunch,takeaway).Break

themealdownintothedifferentfoodgroups.Isitbalanced?Ifnot,whatcouldyouaddortakeawaytomakeitbalanced?

• Usethe EaTWEll PlaTE DIaRYtokeepadiaryofeverythingyoueatforaday(ormore).

• Giveexamplesofbalancedandunbalancedmeals.Planadeliciousbalancedmealoramenuforawholeday.

• Areyoueating5portionsoffruit&vegaday?

• WatchfoodadvertsonTVorcutoutfoodadsfrommagazines.Whichfoodgroupsareadvertised?Dotheadvertspromoteabalanceddiet?Whatdoesapiechartofadvertisedfoodslooklike?

ACTIVE GAmES (FOR LARGE SPACES)

BeinghealthyincludesbeingACTIVE.UsetheEaTWEll PlaTEinactiveteamgames.Herearejustafewideas.

• Distributecardsequally.HavearelayraceinwhichplayersruntoputthecardsintheirrightgroupontheBigPlate.

• Layoutcardsatrandomsomedistancefromtheteams.“FillthePlate”–playersruntopickupacardtoputonanemptygroupontheirEaTWEll PlaTE.Orcalloutafoodgroup.Playersruntopickacardinthatgroupandreturntoplaceitontheirteam’splate.

• Hasthefastestteamputtheircardsintherightplaces?

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The GOOD GRUB CARDS• Doyourecognisethesefoods?Haveyouevereatenthem?

Whichdoyoulike?Notlike?

• Aretheredifferentkindsofthesamefood?Isthefoodwholeorpartorcrosssection?Isitraworcooked?Isitpackaged,fresh,frozen,dried,canned,juiced?Isitacombination?

• Whydoweeatfood?(Tastesnice;wefeelhungry;energy/fuelforwarmthandmovement;nutrients/chemicalstoliveandgrow;sowedon'tgetillandstarveetc.)

• Whatdoyouthinkwouldhappenifyouateyourfavouritefoodandnothingelse?(Soongetbored;notgettheenergyandnutrientsyouneed;getilletc.)

The Eatwell Plate shows you the types of food you need to eat, and the proportions in which

you should eat them, if you’re to enjoy a healthy balanced diet.

EATWELL PLATE BASICS

SHEET 2

The Eatwell Plate is a simple pictorial guide showing the types of food you need to eat, and the proportions in which you should eat them, if you’re to have a healthy balanced diet.

Foodprovidesnutrientstohelpthebodywork.Butnosinglefoodcontainsthemallintheamountsyouneed,soyouhavetoeatamixture.If you choose a variety of food in the proportions suggested by The Eatwell Plate, you'll get all the nutrients your body needs.

Thereare5 food groups,shownassegmentsofapiechartor“plate”.Thesizeofthesegmentsshowsthebestproportions(byweight)foreachfoodgroup.Thefoodsineachgroupcontainsimilarnutrients,soyoucanselectfromamongthemforvariety.

TheBread, rice, potatoes, pasta groupshouldmakeupaboutathirdofthetotalyoueat.Fruit and vegetablesanotherthird.Andtheotherthreegroupstogethershouldadduptotheremainingthird.Ofthese,eatmostfromtheMilk and dairygroup,lessfromtheMeat, fish, eggs, beansgroup,andleastfromtheFoods high in fat or sugargroup.Youdon'thavetoeatexactlytheseproportionsatanyonemeal–justoveraday.

The Eatwell Plate applies to almost everybody over the age of 5.(Youngchildrenundertwohaveslightlydifferentnutritionalrequirementsforgrowthanddevelopment.Forexampletheyneedtheenergyandvitaminsthatfattyfoodssuchasfullfatmilkanddairyproductsprovide.Similarly,peoplewithmedicalconditions,andpregnantandbreast-feedingwomen,mayrequirespecialdiets.)Itappliestovegetariansandpeopleofallethnicorigins.

Combination foods

Manymealsweeat–suchassandwiches,pizzas,lasagne,curries,piesandsoon–areacombinationoffoodsfromdifferentgroups.Wecanbreakdowntheiringredientsintodifferentfoodgroups:

Forexample,achicken and mushroom pizzacontainsingredientsfromthefourmainfoodgroups:Dough base–Bread,rice,potatoes,pastagroupMushrooms and tomato puree–FruitandveggroupCheese–MilkanddairygroupChicken–Meat,fish,eggs,beansgroup.Theproportionofmushroomsandtomatoissmall,butyoucouldmakethepizzaintoabalancedmealbyaddingamixedsaladoraglassofpurefruitjuiceorpieceoffruit.

TheEatwellPlatehelpsyoutochooseahealthydietbuiltonabaseofenergy-givingcarbohydrates,vegetablesandfruit.Itwillbelowinsaturatedfatandsugar,moderateinprotein,butfulloffibre,vitalvitamins,mineralsandantioxidants.

Follow The Eatwell Plate guidelines and you'll get all the nutrients your body needs to work well, to grow, and to stay healthy.

Bread, rice, potatoes,

pastaFruit and

vegetables

Meat, fish,eggs, beans

Foods high in fat or sugar

Milk and dairy

THE EaTWEll PlaTE GaME supports the UK Government's Guidelines for a Healthy Diet:

1. Enjoyyourfood

2. Eatavarietyofdifferentfoods

3. Eattherightamounttobeahealthy weight

4. Eatplentyoffoodsrichinstarchandfibre

5. Eatplentyoffruitandvegetables

6. Don'teattoomanyfoodsthatcontainalotoffat

7. Don'thavesugaryfoodsanddrinkstoooften

8. Don’teattoomanyfoodshighinsalt.

Formoreinfo visit

www.eatwell.gov.ukwww.5aday.nhs.ukwww.wiredforhealth.gov.ukwww.healthyliving.gov.uk/healthyeating

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Foods cards

THE EATWELL PLATE: The food groups explainedSHEET 3

Bread rollsChappatisCorn flakes MacaroniPorridge

Porridge oatsPotatoesPitta breadPuffed wheatRiceSpaghettiToastWhite breadWholemeal bread

appleBananasBroccoliCarrots

Frozen peasGreen pepperOrangeOrange juicePeasPineapplePineapple juiceRed pepperTinned tomatoes Tomato

Blue cheeseCheddar cheese

Cottage cheeseEdam cheeseFromage fraisFruit yoghurtFull fat milkNatural yoghurt Semiskimmed milkSoft cheese

BaconBaked beansChickenEggs

Fish fingersHumousKidney beanslamb choplentilsMinced meatNutsPeanut butterSalmonSardinesSausagesTuna

BiscuitsChipsChocolateChocolate biscuitCorn oilCream cakeCrisps

BREAD, RICE, POTATOES, PASTA

WHAT ABOUT COmBINATION FOODS?Manymeals–suchasspaghettibolognese,curries,stews,pies–combinefoodsfromdifferentgroups.Mosthome-cookedmeals,takeaways,fastfoodsandprocessedreadymealsfallintothiscategory.Theircomponentscanbeseparatedintothedifferentfoodgroupstoseeifthemealisbalanced.

FRUIT & VEGETABLES

mILK & DAIRY

mEAT, FISH, EGGS, BEANS

FOODS HIGH IN FAT OR SUGAR

• Eat at least 5 portions of fruit & veg every day.Oneportionisaboutahandfulor80g.Allkindscount–fresh,frozen,canned,driedorjuice.Oneglassof100%fruitjuicecountsas1portion,butdon’tcountanymorenomatterhowmuchyoudrink.Beansandotherpulsesonlycountonce.

•PotatoesareastarchyfoodthatbelongtotheBread,rice,potatoes,pastagroupabove,sotheydon’tcountasaportion.•Fruitandvegprovideawidevarietyofnutrients–includingvitaminCandothervitamins,mineralssuchaspotassium,andfibre.They’reanimportantsourceofanti-oxidants.Eata

rainbowofdifferentcoloursandkinds.• Fruit and veg help protect against colds and other infections, heart disease, stroke and cancers. They’re also important in keeping the skin, gut and lungs healthy.

• This group includesmilk,cheese,yoghurt,fromagefrais,milkshakesandcustard.(Butnotbutterandcream,whichbelonginthe“Foodshighin

fat”group).Chooselowerfatversions,ifpossible.•Milkanddairyfoodsprovidethemineralcalcium,protein,andvitaminsB12,AandD.

• Calcium is needed to make strong bones & teeth.

•This group includesmeat(beef,pork,bacon,lamb),meatproducts(sausagesandbeefburgers),poultry(chicken,turkey),fish(fresh,frozenandcanned),fishproducts(fishfingers,fishcakes),offal(liver,kidney),eggs,pulses(bakedbeans,chickpeas,lentils),nutsandnutproducts(peanutbutter),texturedvegetable

proteinandothermeatalternatives.•Theseprovideprotein,Bvitamins,andmineralssuchasiron,zincandmagnesium.Eatatleast2portionsoffishaweek,oneofwhichshouldbeanoilyfish(suchasmackerel,sardines,salmon,freshtunaorherring).Oilyfishandsome

nutscontainomega3fattyacidsthathelpyourhearttobeatmoreregularlyandhelpyourbloodtoflowmoreeasily.• Protein is needed for growth and repair of muscles, skin and other parts of the body.

• This group includesmargarine,butter,otherspreadingfats,cookingoilsandfats,oil-basedsaladdressings,mayonnaise,saladcream,cream,chocolate,crisps,biscuits,pastries,cakes,puddings,icecream,richsauces,gravies,jam,sugarysoftdrinks,sweets,sugarandjelly.•It’sbestnottoeattoomanyofthesefoods.Theenergythey

containisusuallysurplustorequirementsandtheyprovideveryfewnutrients.Chooselowerfatalternatives,wherepossible.•Eataslittlesaturatedfataspossible–itraisescholesterollevelsinthebloodandincreasestheriskofheartdisease.Butsmallamountsofunsaturatedfats(founde.g.inoliveoilandrapeseedoil)maybehelpfulforhearthealth.

Sugaryfoodsanddrinksarethemajorsourceoftoothdecay.• Processed foods tend to be high in salt. Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, heart and kidney disease, and stroke. Recomended salt intake for adults is no more than 6g a day, and less for children (depending on age). Babies should be given no salt at all.

• This group includesallbreads,rolls,chappatis,breakfastcereals,oats,pasta,noodles,rice,potatoes,yam,plantain,dishesmadefrommaize,milletandcornmeal,andgreenbananas.•Thesefoodsprovide

“complex”carbohydrates(starch),mineralssuchascalciumandiron,andBvitamins.•Choosewholegrainvarietiese.g.wholemealbread,brownrice.Theseareoftenhighinfibreandlowinfat.Energyfrom

thesefoodsisreleasedintothebodyslowly,whichstopsyoufromfeelinghungryforlonger.• This group is the most important source of energy and warmth.

Fizzy drinkIce creamlow-fat spreadMargarineMuffinOlive OilPlain biscuitSundaeSweetsVegetable oil

Food group

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