Visit the activity.

This screen explains to students that we need to eat the different food groups in a correct balance for maximum health and proper functioning of the body. It shows the healthy balanced plate.

Explain to pupils that a healthy diet should contain a balance of the different food groups in the amounts shown on the plate.

Ask pupils to think about their diet and whether it is balanced. This leads into looking at a set of meals over a course of time.

Give pupils the Diet Diary PDF and instruct them to keep a note of all the food and drink they have in a week. After the week review the pupils' diaries and ask them to total their portions to evaluate whether they are eating the correct foods in the right balance and if they aren't what they can do to change their diet in school and at home. This leads directly into the Healthy Schools Standards, in which pupils are encouraged to look at their school environment and consider ways to make it a healthier place.

Encourage pupils to take their diet diary home and discuss their findings with their parents or guardians. You may want to pupils to share their diaries and look for differences in types of diet e.g. are there cultural or ethnic differences, is anyone a vegetarian?

Note: Diet can be a sensitive and social issue so consider the implications of this work and how best to handle any difficulties or embarrassment that may arise due to differing cultural, financial and social/family situations in the class. It is important to encourage the pupils to make good choices as far as possible but not to feel disadvantaged if their choices at home are limited.

The appropriate curriculum links are given below:

Note about the diet diary: Diet can only be fully assessed over a long period of time and by a fully qualified nutritionist/doctor. While fruit and vegetables are preferable to sugary and fatty snacks, pupils should not be encouraged to make radical changes to their diet and certainly never to skip meals. When discussing nutrition, it is important therefore not to worry pupils that they may be eating 'the wrong things'.