About the eatwell plate
Tuesday 1 February 2011
The eatwell plate is a policy tool that defines the Government’s recommendations on healthy diets. It makes healthy eating easier to understand by giving a visual representation of the types and proportions of foods needed for a healthy and well balanced diet.
The eatwell plate is based on the five food groups:
- bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy foods
- fruit and vegetables
- milk and dairy foods
- meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein
- foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar
The eatwell plate encourages you to choose different foods from the first four groups every day, to help ensure you obtain the wide range of nutrients your body needs to remain healthy and function properly.
Choosing a variety of foods from within each group will add to the range of nutrients you consume. Foods in the fifth group – foods and drinks high in fat and/or sugar are not essential to a healthy diet.
For more on choosing a healthy diet, look at the information at the NHS Choices link below.
Who is the eatwell plate for?
The eatwell plate is suitable for most people including people of all ethnic origins and people who are of a healthy weight or overweight. It is also suitable for vegetarians.
However, it does not apply to children under two years of age because they have different needs.
Anyone under medical supervision or with special dietary needs might want to check with their GP, or a registered dietitian, to be clear about whether or not the eatwell plate is suitable for them.
Why use the eatwell plate as the model for healthy eating?
The eatwell plate is a visual representation of how different foods contribute towards a healthy balanced diet. The plate model has been tested extensively with consumers and health professionals.
The size of the segments for each of the food groups is consistent with Government recommendations for a diet that would provide all the nutrients required for a healthy adult or child (over the age of two).
The eatwell plate is not meant to represent the balance required in any one specific meal or over a particular timescale – rather it represents the overall balance of a healthy diet.
In 2010 the eatwell plate won a Plain English award, awarded by the Plain English Campaign.