The Eatwell Guide

Helping you eat a healthy, balanced diet

Public Health England in association with the Welsh Government,

Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland.
Get started now
Eating well and having a healthy lifestyle can help us feel our best – and make a big
difference to our long-term health. So why not make a change today?

The Eatwell Guide shows the proportions in which different types of foods are needed to
have a well-balanced and healthy diet. The proportions shown are representative of your
food consumption over the period of a day or even a week, not necessarily each meal time.

Is the Eatwell Guide for me?

The Eatwell Guide applies to most people regardless of weight, dietary restrictions/
preferences or ethnic origin.

However, it doesn’t apply to children under 2 because they have different nutritional needs.
Between the ages of 2 and 5, children should gradually move to eating the same foods as
the rest of the family, in the proportions shown on the Eatwell Guide. Anyone with special
dietary requirements or medical needs might want to check with a registered dietitian on
how to adapt the Eatwell Guide to meet their individual needs.

How can the Eatwell Guide help?

The Eatwell Guide shows the different types of foods and drinks we should consume –
and in what proportions – to have a healthy, balanced diet.
• Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates;
choosing wholegrain versions where possible
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks); choosing lower fat
and lower sugar options
• Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins (including 2 portions
of fish every week, one of which should be oily)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and eat in small amounts
• Drink 6-8 cups/glasses of fluid a day

If consuming foods and drinks high in fat, salt or sugar have these less often and
in small amounts.

When should I use the Eatwell Guide?

You can use the Eatwell Guide to help you make healthier choices whenever you’re:
• deciding what to eat
• at home cooking

2
• out shopping for groceries
• eating out in a restaurant, cafe or canteen
• choosing food on the go
Aim to fill your trolley with a healthy balance of different types of food.

How does it work?

The Eatwell Guide divides the foods and drinks we consume into five main groups. Try to
choose a variety of different foods from each of the groups to help you get the wide range
of nutrients your body needs to stay healthy and work properly.

It is important to get some fat in the diet, however, foods high in fat, salt and sugar are placed
outside of the main image as these types of foods are not essential in the diet and most of us
need to cut down on these to achieve our healthy balance. Unsaturated fats from plant
sources, for example vegetable oil or olive oil, are healthier types of fat. But remember,
all types of fat are high in energy and so should only be eaten in small amounts.

Many of the foods we eat, such as pizzas, casseroles, pasta dishes and sandwiches, are
combination foods and contain ingredients from more than one of the food groups. For these
sorts of food, you just need to work out the main ingredients and think about how these fit
with the sections on the guide. For example, if you’re having a cottage pie the potato fits into
the yellow segment, the milk in the mashed potato fits into the blue segment, the spread in
the mashed potato fits into the purple segment, the meat, meat substitute or beans would
fall into the pink segment, the onion, carrots and peas would fit into the green segment.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the food groups...

A closer look at

Fruit and vegetables

Most people know we should be eating more fruit and veg, but many of us aren’t eating
enough. Fruit and veg should make up just over a third of the food we eat each day.

Aim to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruit and veg each day. If you count how
many portions you’re having, it might help you increase the amount and variety of
fruit and veg you eat. Choose from fresh, frozen, canned, dried or juiced. A portion is
80g or any of these: 1 apple, banana, pear, orange or other similar-size fruit, 3 heaped
tablespoons of vegetables, a dessert bowl of salad, 30g of dried fruit (which should be
kept to mealtimes) or a 150ml glass of fruit juice
or smoothie (counts as a maximum of one
portion a day).
Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other
starchy carbohydrates
Starchy food is a really important part of a healthy diet and should make up just over
a third of the food we eat. Choose higher-fibre, wholegrain varieties when you can by
purchasing wholewheat pasta, brown rice, or simply leaving the skins on potatoes.

Base your meals around starchy carbohydrate foods. So, you could:

• start the day with a wholegrain breakfast cereal; choose one lower in salt and sugars
• have a sandwich for lunch
• round off the day with potatoes, pasta or rice as a base for your evening meal

Some people think starchy food is fattening, but gram for gram it contains less than
half the calories of fat. You just need to watch the fats you add when you’re cooking
and serving this sort of food, because that’s what increases the calorie content.

Why choose wholegrain?

Wholegrain food contains more fibre than white or refined starchy food,
and often more of other nutrients. We also digest wholegrain food more
slowly so it can help us feel full for longer. Wholegrain food includes:
wholemeal and wholegrain bread, pitta and chapatti, wholewheat
pasta, brown rice, wholegrain breakfast cereals and whole oats.

Remember, you can also purchase high fibre white

versions of bread and pasta which will help to
increase your fibre intake using a like-for-like
substitute of your family favourites.

Dairy and alternatives

Try to have some milk and dairy food (or dairy alternatives) – such as cheese,
yoghurt and fromage frais.

These are good sources of protein and vitamins, and they’re also an
important source of calcium, which helps to keep our bones strong.
Some dairy food can be high in fat and saturated fat, but there are
plenty of lower-fat options to choose from.

Go for lower fat and lower sugar products where possible.

For example, why not try 1% fat milk which contains about half the fat of semi-skimmed
milk without a noticeable change in taste or texture? Or reduced fat cheese which is also
widely available. Or you could have just a smaller amount of the full-fat varieties less often.
When buying dairy alternatives, go for unsweetened, calcium-fortified versions.

4
Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins
These foods are sources of protein, vitamins and minerals, so it is important to eat
some foods from this group.

Beans, peas and lentils (which are all types of pulses) are good alternatives to meat
because they’re naturally very low in fat, and they’re high in fibre, protein, vitamins and
minerals. Pulses, or legumes as they are sometimes called, are edible seeds that grow
in pods and include foods like lentils, chickpeas, beans and peas. Other vegetable-
based sources of protein include tofu, bean curd and mycoprotein; all of which are
widely available in most retailers.

Aim for at least two portions (2 x 140g) of fish a week, including a portion of oily fish.
Most people should be eating more fish, but there are recommended limits for oily
fish, crab and some types of white fish. For more information on fish please see
www.nidirect.gov.uk/fish-and-shellfish. Also www.msc.org for more guidance on
sustainably sourced fish.

Some types of meat are high in fat, particularly saturated fat. So when you’re
buying meat, remember that the type of cut or meat product you choose,
and how you cook it, can make a big difference. To cut down on fat:
choose lean cuts of meat and go for leaner mince, cut the fat off of
meat and the skin off of chicken, try to grill meat and fish instead
of frying and have a boiled or poached egg instead of fried.
If you eat more than 90g of red or processed meat per day,
try to cut down to no more than 70g per day. The term
processed meat includes sausages, bacon, cured
meats and reformed meat products.

Oils and spreads

Although some fat in the diet is essential, generally we are eating too much saturated
fat and need to reduce our consumption.

Unsaturated fats are healthier fats that are usually from plant sources and in liquid form
as oil, for example vegetable oil, rapeseed oil and olive oil. Swapping to unsaturated fats
will help to reduce cholesterol in the blood, therefore it is important to get most of our
fat from unsaturated oils.

Choosing lower fat spreads, as opposed to butter, is a good way to reduce your
saturated fat intake.

Remember that all types of fat are high in energy and should be limited in the diet.

5
 Foods high in fat, salt and sugars
This includes products such as chocolate, cakes, biscuits, full-sugar soft drinks,
butter and ice-cream. These foods are not needed in the diet and so, if included,
should only be done infrequently and in small amounts. If you consume these
foods and drinks often, try to limit their consumption so you have them less often
and in smaller amounts. Food and drinks high in fat and sugar contain lots of
energy, particularly when you have large servings. Check the label and
avoid foods which are high in fat, salt and sugar!

Hydration
6-8
Aim to drink 6-8 glasses of fluid every day. Water, lower fat milk and a day
sugar-free drinks including tea and coffee all count. Fruit juice and
smoothies also count towards your fluid consumption, although they
are a source of free sugars* and so you should limit consumption to Water, lower fat
milk, sugar-free
no more than a combined total of 150ml per day. drinks including
tea and coffee
Sugary drinks are one of the main contributors to excess sugar all count.
consumption amongst children and adults in the UK. Swap sugary Limit fruit juice
and/or smoothies
soft drinks for diet, sugar-free or no added sugar varieties to reduce to a total of
your sugar intake in a simple step. 150ml a day.

Alcohol
Alcohol also contains lots of calories (kcal) and should be limited to no more than 14 units
per week for men and women. The calorific content of an alcoholic beverage depends on
the type of alcohol, the volume served and the addition of mixers. As an example 1 pint of
standard strength lager contains approximately 135kcals and a 175ml medium glass of wine
contains approximately 135kcals. A 25ml shot of spirit (40% vol) contains approximately
56kcals and a 35ml shot of spirit (40% vol), which is the measure used in Northern Ireland,
contains approximately 78kcals.

Food labelling
Lots of pre-packaged foods have a food label on the front of pack which shows the nutrition
information per serving. They also refer to reference intake which tells you how much of each
nutrient should be included in the daily diet. The percentage refers to the contribution that
the product makes to the reference intake for each nutrient.

*Free sugars - Any sugar added to food or drink products by the manufacturer, cook or
consumer including those naturally found in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juice.

6
Food labels can help you to choose between
foods and to pick those that are lower in
energy, fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt.
Where colour coded labels are used you can
tell at a glance if they are high, medium or
low in fat, saturated fat, sugars and salt. For
a healthier choice, try to pick products with
more greens and ambers and fewer reds.

Remember that the portion sizes used on

the label are suggestions and may not be the
same as you actually consume. For example, some foods and drinks commonly consumed as
single servings have the nutritional information presented per half pack.

To find out more about food labelling you can visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/front-of-pack-labelling.

Cutting down on saturated fat

Cutting down on saturated fat can lower your blood cholesterol and reduce your risk of heart
disease. Most people in the UK eat too much saturated fat. The average man should have
no more than 30g saturated fat a day. The average woman should have no more than 20g
saturated fat a day. Children should have less saturated fat than adults. But remember that
a low-fat diet isn’t suitable for children under five.

One of the easiest ways to cut down on saturated fat is to compare the labels on similar
products and choose the one lower in saturated fat. Watch out for foods that are high in
saturated fat, including fatty cuts of meat, sausages, butter, cream, cheese, chocolate, pastries,
cakes and biscuits. You don’t need to stop eating these foods altogether, but eating too much
of these can make it easy to have more than the recommended maximum amount of saturated
fat. To find out more, see www.nidirect.gov.uk/types-of-fat.

Cutting down on sugar

Regularly consuming foods and drinks high in sugar increases your risk of obesity and tooth
decay. Ideally, no more than 5% of the energy we consume should come from free sugars*.
Currently, children and adults across the UK are consuming 2-3 times that amount.

Recommended maximum
Age Sugar cubes
free sugars intake

4-6 years No more than 19g/day 5 cubes

7-10 years No more than 24g/day 6 cubes

From 11 years, including adults No more than 30g/day 7 cubes

*Free sugars - Any sugar added to food or drink products by the manufacturer, cook or
consumer including those naturally found in honey, syrups and unsweetened fruit juice.

7
Many packaged foods and drinks contain surprisingly high amounts of free sugars including
some breakfast cereals, yoghurts and fruit juice drinks. Use the food label to help you choose
foods lower in sugar. Swap sugary breakfast cereals for plain cereals such as plain porridge,
wholewheat biscuit cereals, shredded wholewheat or no added sugar muesli. Cereal bars
often contain high levels of free sugars too, so remember to check the label. Swap flavoured
or corner-style yoghurts for low fat, lower sugar yoghurts, adding fresh fruit for variety.

Sugary drinks have no place in a child’s daily diet but account for a surprisingly large proportion
of the daily sugar intake of both children and adults. Almost a third of the free sugars consumed
by 11-18 year olds comes from soft drinks. We should aim to swap sugary drinks for water,
lower fat milk or sugar-free drinks including tea and coffee. Be sure to check the label for added
sugar. For more information, visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/sugars.

Cutting down on salt

Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, which increases your risk of developing
heart disease or stroke. And since many people in the UK eat too much salt, that means that
lots of people would benefit from cutting down. Adults should eat no more than 6g of salt a
day. Children should have even less. 6g of salt is about a teaspoonful. But remember we’re
not just talking about the salt you add to your food because most of the salt we eat is already
in everyday foods such as bread, breakfast cereal, pasta sauce and soup. Try replacing salt
with pepper, herbs and spices to add flavour to your favourite dishes. Checking the label and
choosing foods that are lower in salt is one of the best ways to cut down. For more information,
visit www.nidirect.gov.uk/salt.

How much food do I need?

We all need different amounts of energy (or calories) from food to be a healthy weight.
How much you need depends on lots of things, including how active you are.

Whenever we eat more than our body needs, we put on weight. This is because we store the
energy we don’t use as fat. Even if we have just small amounts of extra energy each day, we
can put on weight. And most people in the UK eat more than they need.

Daily energy requirements

Age Males Females
kcal kJ kcal kJ
1 765 3201 717 3000
2 1004 4201 932 3899
3 1171 4899 1076 4502
4 1386 5799 1291 5402
5 1482 6201 1362 5699
6 1577 6598 1482 6201
7 1649 6899 1530 6402
8 1745 7301 1625 6799
9 1840 7699 1721 7201
10 2032 8302 1936 8100
11 and over 2500 10,460 2000 8368

8
Try to:
• eat only as much food as you need. Improve the balance of your diet by looking at the Eatwell Guide
• get more active! If you’re eating a good balance of the different food groups, and you’re a
healthy weight, you’re probably eating about the right amount
If you’re overweight, then you may need to eat less, improve the balance of your diet and/or
get more active. Ask your GP, or another health professional, for advice about losing weight.
Do you know if you’re a healthy weight? Find out at: www.nidirect.gov.uk/healthy-weight.

Do I need vitamin and mineral supplements?

Most people can get all the nutrients their body needs by eating healthily. However, some people
do need certain supplements. For example, if you are planning a pregnancy, you should take a
daily 400 microgram (μg) folic acid supplement from the time you stop using contraception until
the 12th week of pregnancy. Women who have already had a pregnancy affected by neural tube
defects, or if there is a history of neural tube defects in the family, need to take 5mg of folic acid
each day until the 12th week of pregnancy. In addition, women who have diabetes and those
taking anti-epileptic medicines should consult their GP for advice.

In spring and summer, most people will get all the vitamin D they need through sunlight on the
skin and from a healthy, balanced diet. However, during the autumn and winter we need to rely
on dietary sources of vitamin D. Since it is difficult for people to get enough vitamin D from food
alone, everyone should consider taking a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms of vitamin
D during autumn and winter.

People whose skin has little or no exposure to the sun, or who always cover their skin when
outside, risk vitamin D deficiency and need to take a daily supplement containing 10 micrograms
of vitamin D throughout the year. Ethnic minority groups with dark skin, from African, Afro-
Caribbean and South Asian backgrounds, may not get enough vitamin D from sunlight in the
summer and therefore should consider taking a supplement all year round.

Children aged 1 to 4 years should also have a daily 10 microgram vitamin D supplement.
As a precaution, all babies under 1 year should have a daily 8.5 to 10 microgram vitamin D
supplement to ensure they get enough. Children who have more than 500ml of infant formula
a day do not need any additional vitamin D as formula is already fortified.

For more information, talk to your GP or another health professional, or visit

www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/vitamin-d.
d/or
b e r fr u it juice an to no
Remem be limited
8 tips for eating well smoothie
s s h o u ld
l per day
in total.
a n 1 50 m
1. Base your meals on starchy foods more th
2. Eat lots of fruit and veg
Leaner: Choose leaner cuts of meat
3. Eat more fish - including a portion of and poultry, remove any visible fat.
oily fish each week
4. Cut down on saturated fat and sugar Lower: Go for lower fat, salt and
sugar products - especially dairy and
5. Eat less salt – no more than 6g a day for adults starchy carbohydrate foods.
6. Get active and be a healthy weight
7. Don’t get thirsty Less: Use less oils and spreads.
Choose foods high in fat, salt
8. Don’t skip breakfast and sugar less often.

9
Food group What’s included? How much? Tips

Fruit and All fruit and vegetables including fresh, frozen, canned, dried and juiced varieties. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. Aim for at least 5 Try to eat as many different types of fruit
vegetables Potatoes do not count as they are considered a starchy carbohydrate food. portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day. and vegetables as possible. Avoid adding sauces/
Remember that a portion of dried fruit is 30g and dressing high in fat, salt or sugar to your fruit and veg e.g.
should be kept to mealtimes. Limit fruit juice and chocolate sauce on banana or honey/butter glaze on your
smoothies to a combined total of 150ml which counts parsnips. Bulk out your meals with vegetables such as
as 1 of your 5 A Day. There is evidence to suggest grated carrot, mushrooms or peppers for an extra portion
that people who eat lots of fruit and veg are less likely of your 5 A Day which will make your meal spread further.
to develop chronic diseases such as coronary heart Remember to keep fruit in your bag as a convenient and
disease and some types of cancer. healthy snack and frozen vegetables in your freezer so
you don’t run out.

Potatoes, • bread, including: • potatoes • polenta Eat plenty of starchy carbohydrates including Base your meals around starchy carbohydrates. Check
bread, rice, soda bread, rye • breakfast cereals, oats • millet, spelt potatoes, bread, rice and pasta. Choose wholegrain the labels and choose the products lowest in fat, salt and
pasta and other bread, pitta, flour varieties, or keep the skins on potatoes, for more sugar. If you are having chips, go for oven chips lower in
tortilla, baguettes, • pasta, noodles • wheat, pearl barley fibre, vitamins and minerals. fat and salt. If you are serving starchy foods, try to avoid
starchy
carbohydrates chapatti, bagels • maize, cornmeal • yams and plantains adding too much fat (eg oil or butter on roast potatoes) or
• rice • couscous, bulgur sauces (creamy pasta) as these contain lots of calories.

Dairy and dairy Milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais, quark, cream cheese. This also includes non-dairy Eat some dairy or dairy alternatives. Choose Try swapping to 1% fat milk as opposed to whole
alternatives alternatives to these foods. Butters and creams are not included in this group as they lower fat options when possible. For products or semi-skimmed milk. Cheese is high in saturated
are high in saturated fat and so they fit into the ‘foods to eat less often and in small like yoghurt, check the label and go for ones fat, so try buying reduced fat cheese. Alternatively
amounts’ section. lower in fat and sugars. grate it instead of slicing it to avoid using more than
you need. Try to use low fat plain yoghurt as opposed
to cream, crème fraiche or mayonnaise.

Beans, pulses, • meat, poultry and game, • oily fish (fresh, frozen • nuts Eat some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other When you’re cooking and serving these foods,
fish, eggs, meat including: lamb, beef, pork, or canned), including: • eggs proteins. Eat at least 2 portions (2 x 140g) of fish try not to add extra fat or oil. When you’re buying meat,
and other proteins chicken, bacon, sausages, mackerel, sardines, trout, each week, one of which is oily. Limit processed ask your butcher for a lean cut or compare the labels on
burgers salmon, whitebait • beans and other pulses, meats such as sausages, bacon and cured meats. different products and choose the one lower in saturated
including: lentils, whitebait If you eat more than 90g per day of red or processed fat. Watch out for meat and fish products in pastry, batter
• white fish (fresh, frozen or • shellfish (fresh, frozen chickpeas, baked beans,
canned), including: kidney beans, butter beans meats, try to reduce the amount to no more than or breadcrumbs as these can be high in fat and/or salt.
haddock, plaice, pollock, or canned), including: • vegetarian meat 70g per day. Remember that an 80g portion of beans or pulses can
coley, cod, tuna prawns, mussels alternatives e.g. tofu, count as 1 of your 5 A Day!
mycoprotein

Oils and spreads Unsaturated oils including vegetable oil, rapeseed oil, olive oil and sunflower oil. Soft Use these products sparingly as they are high in fat. Choose lower fat spreads where possible and use
spreads made from unsaturated oils. Butters are not included in this section as these Cutting down on these types of foods could help to sparingly. Check the label and choose oils high in un-
are high in saturated fat and are included in the ‘foods to eat less often and in small control your weight as they are high in calories. saturated fat and low in saturated fat. Oils expand when
amounts’ section. heated and so heating oil in the pan before you use it will
make it go further so you don’t need to use as much.

Foods to eat • cakes • pastries • sauces These foods are not required as part of a healthy, Use lower fat spread instead of butter. Swap cakes and
less often and in • biscuits • ice cream • butter balanced diet. If included, they should only be biscuits for a slice of malt loaf or a teacake with low fat
small amounts consumed infrequently and in small amounts. spread. If you add sugar to your food or drinks, gradually
• chocolate • jam • cream Most of us need to cut down on the amount reduce the amount you add until your taste buds adapt
• sweets • honey • mayonnaise of high fat, salt and sugar foods we eat and drink. and you can cut it out altogether. Alternatively try using a
• puddings • crisps calorie-free sweetener instead.

10
11
How can I find out more about healthy eating?
To find out more:
• get general advice from food.gov.uk/eatwell
and www.nidirect.gov.uk/eat-well
• contact your local community dietician, you can do this through
your health centre or GP
• for healthy eating ideas, handy tips and recipes visit,
www.choosetolivebetter.com

© Crown copyright 2020

Gateway number: 2015588

You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in any format or medium,
under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0.

To view this licence, visit OGL. Where we have identified any third party copyright
information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.