The eatwell guide

• the eatwell guide is designed to help all those over 2 years of age to eat a healthy, balanced diet as it shows how much of what is eaten should come from each food group
• the flour food groups are:

  • potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates
  • fruit and vegetables
  • dairy and alternatives
  • beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
• there is a fifth group of the eatwell guide, oils and spreads, but this small section reflects that our diet should only have small amounts of unsaturated fat and lower-fat spreads
• the eatwell guide shows a plate divided into segments, showing the amounts of foods that should be eaten daily from each segment
• the two main segments consist of fruit and vegetables and the cereal group, it is advised that cereals chosen should be mainly wholemeal varieties which contain more fibre
• two other segments are made up of foods providing protein and dairy foods
• the remaining segment is very small and contains unsaturated fats and spreads
• other advice in the eatwell guide includes:

  • drink plenty of fluid such as water and drinks with no added sugar
  • front of pack nutrition labelling
  • average energy requirements for men and women
• some snacks and dishes are made up of ingredients from more than one of the food groups on the eatwell guide, these are called composition foods