What does a balanced diet look like, and what guidelines should we follow?
Current healthy-eating guidance: the Eatwell Guide proportions, the eight tips for healthy eating, government dietary advice (reducing saturated fat, sugar and salt, increasing fibre, fruit and vegetables) and how to plan a balanced diet.
A focused answer on healthy-eating guidance for Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (C560), covering the Eatwell Guide proportions, the eight tips for healthy eating, government advice on fat, sugar, salt and fibre, and how to plan a balanced diet.
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What this dot point is asking
Eduqas wants you to know current healthy-eating guidance: the Eatwell Guide and its proportions, the eight tips for healthy eating, the government advice to cut saturated fat, sugar and salt and to raise fibre, fruit and vegetables, and how to plan a balanced diet from them.
The Eatwell Guide
The proportions are:
- Fruit and vegetables: about a third of the plate (at least five portions a day) for vitamins, minerals and fibre.
- Starchy carbohydrates (bread, rice, pasta, potatoes): about a third, choosing wholegrain, for energy and fibre.
- Dairy or alternatives: a smaller amount, for calcium and protein (lower-fat where possible).
- Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins: a smaller amount, for protein, iron and other nutrients (including more fish, some oily).
- Oils and spreads: a small amount (unsaturated where possible).
- Foods high in fat, salt and sugar: shown outside the plate, to be eaten only occasionally and in small amounts.
The eight tips for healthy eating
Each tip links to health: fibre and fruit and vegetables lower disease risk and aid digestion; reducing saturated fat lowers heart-disease risk; reducing free sugar prevents obesity and tooth decay; reducing salt lowers blood pressure; activity and a healthy weight reduce many diseases.
Planning a balanced diet
To plan a balanced diet, base each meal on starchy carbohydrate and vegetables, include a protein source and a dairy item, keep high-fat and high-sugar foods occasional, choose wholegrain and lower-fat options, and drink water rather than sugary drinks. Variety matters because no single food contains every nutrient, and portion sizes should match a person's energy needs.
Try this
Q1. What proportion of the Eatwell Guide should be fruit and vegetables? [1 mark]
- Cue. About a third (at least five portions a day).
Q2. State the maximum recommended daily salt intake for an adult. [1 mark]
- Cue. No more than 6 g a day.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC Eduqas exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Eduqas 20186 marksDescribe the Eatwell Guide and explain how it can be used to plan a balanced diet for a family.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark extended-response question. Mark it for the food groups and proportions plus an applied planning point.
The Eatwell Guide is the UK model of a balanced diet, shown as a plate divided into proportions. The largest sections are fruit and vegetables (about a third, at least five portions a day) and starchy carbohydrates such as bread, rice, pasta and potatoes (about a third, choosing wholegrain). Smaller sections are dairy or alternatives (for calcium and protein) and beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat (for protein). The smallest section is oils and spreads, and foods high in fat, salt and sugar are shown outside the plate to be eaten only occasionally.
To plan a family diet, base each meal on starchy carbohydrate and vegetables, include a protein source and a dairy item, keep high-fat, high-sugar foods occasional, and choose wholegrain and lower-fat options. Drinking water and limiting sugary drinks also fit the guide.
Top-band answers (5 to 6 marks) give the food groups with proportions and apply them to planning real meals.
Eduqas 20214 marksState two of the government's eight tips for healthy eating and explain why each is recommended.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark structured question.
Any two of the eight tips, each with a reason, for example: "base meals on higher-fibre starchy carbohydrates" because they provide energy and fibre and help you feel full; "eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day" because they provide vitamins, minerals and fibre and lower disease risk; "cut down on saturated fat and sugar" because too much raises the risk of heart disease, obesity and tooth decay; "eat less salt (no more than 6 g a day)" because too much raises blood pressure; "get active and be a healthy weight"; "drink plenty of fluids"; "eat more fish, including oily fish"; "do not skip breakfast".
Markers reward two correct tips, each with a valid reason linked to health.
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Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition specification (C560) — WJEC Eduqas (2016)