What is a balanced diet, how do the Eatwell Guide and dietary guidelines help, and how do nutritional needs change across life stages?
Planning a balanced diet: the Eatwell Guide, the current UK dietary guidelines, and how nutritional needs differ for different life stages and groups.
A focused answer to the WJEC Food Preparation and Nutrition diet and good health topic on planning a balanced diet, covering the Eatwell Guide, the current UK dietary guidelines, and how nutritional needs change across life stages and for different groups.
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What this dot point is asking
You need to know what a balanced diet is, how the Eatwell Guide and the current dietary guidelines help people plan one, and how nutritional needs change across life stages and for different groups.
What a balanced diet is
The Eatwell Guide
The Eatwell Guide is the UK government model showing the types of food and the proportions for a healthy, balanced diet, drawn as a plate:
- Fruit and vegetables: the largest section, at least five a day.
- Starchy carbohydrates: about a third of the plate, choosing wholegrain.
- Protein foods: beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat, with two portions of fish a week (one oily).
- Dairy and alternatives: for calcium, choosing lower fat options.
- Oils and spreads: small amounts, choosing unsaturated.
- Foods high in fat, salt and sugar: placed outside the plate, eaten less often and in small amounts.
It also reminds people to drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day.
The UK dietary guidelines
The main current guidelines (the "8 tips for healthy eating") are to:
- base meals on starchy carbohydrates, choosing wholegrain,
- eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day,
- eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish,
- cut down on saturated fat and sugar,
- eat less salt (no more than 6 g a day for adults),
- be active and keep a healthy weight,
- drink plenty of fluids,
- not skip breakfast.
Nutritional needs across life stages
- Babies and young children: rapid growth needs energy and nutrient-dense food; small stomachs mean frequent meals.
- Children and teenagers: high energy and protein for growth, calcium and vitamin D for bones (peak bone mass), and iron (especially teenage girls).
- Pregnant women: extra folate (to prevent neural tube defects), iron and calcium.
- Adults: a balanced diet to maintain health and a healthy weight.
- Older adults: usually less energy (less active), but still calcium and vitamin D for bones, protein to maintain muscle, and fibre and fluid for digestion.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of WJEC exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
WJEC style6 marksDescribe how the Eatwell Guide helps people to plan a healthy, balanced diet.Show worked answer →
A 6-mark question. Mark it for the sections of the Eatwell Guide and the proportions, linked to balance.
The Eatwell Guide is a model that shows the types of food and the proportions needed for a healthy, balanced diet. It is divided into sections shown as a plate. The largest sections are fruit and vegetables (aim for at least five a day) and starchy carbohydrates (about a third of the plate, choosing wholegrain). A smaller section is protein foods (beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat, with two portions of fish a week including oily fish), and dairy or dairy alternatives (for calcium, choosing lower fat). Oils and spreads are used in small amounts, and foods high in fat, salt and sugar are placed outside the plate, to be eaten less often and in small amounts. It also reminds people to drink 6 to 8 glasses of fluid a day.
A top answer names the sections, gives the rough proportions, and links them to balance and variety. Reward the five-a-day, wholegrain, fish and lower-fat-dairy points.
WJEC style4 marksExplain how the nutritional needs of a teenager differ from those of an older adult.Show worked answer →
A 4-mark question. Award marks for needs linked to each group.
A teenager is growing quickly, so needs plenty of energy, protein for growth, and calcium with vitamin D to build strong bones (reaching peak bone mass). Teenage girls need extra iron because of monthly blood loss. An older adult is no longer growing and is often less active, so needs less energy to avoid weight gain, but still needs protein to maintain muscle, calcium and vitamin D to keep bones strong and reduce the risk of osteoporosis, and enough fibre and fluid to aid digestion.
Markers reward: teenager needs energy, protein, calcium and iron for growth; older adult needs less energy but still calcium, vitamin D, protein and fibre. Linking each nutrient to the life stage is the key.
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Sources & how we know this
- WJEC Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition specification (from 2016) — WJEC Eduqas (2016)