KS4 Design and Technology: Food Groups and the Eatwell Guide

BBC Teach > Secondary resources > Design and Technology GCSE > Food Preparation and Nutrition

Greg James: GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition Food Groups on a plate In this film you will learn about: The 5 Food Groups, the foods in each group and the main nutrients they contain. Definitions: Food Groups: a way of classifying types of food according to their main nutrients Nutrients: chemicals found in food that perform a particular func Balanced diet: eating a variety of foods to get all in the right proportions and quantities to be heal Almost all foods contain more than one type of nutrient for example: Meat contains protein and fat as well a The Eatwell Plate is the UK’s healthy eating model that shows the different Food Groups that make up our It's divided into sections designed to show how much of each food group we should eat to have a balanced die Food can be classified into 5 groups: The group that provides us with Carbohydrates for contains Bread, cereals, flour, oats, rice, potatoes and Carbohydrates are macro-nutrients because they are needed in large quantities by the b The group comprising fruit and vegetables, is the group we need to eat at least 5 portions of every day. Fruit and vegetables contain plenty of fibre and valu such as Vitamins C and A as well as the minerals folate and potassium. Next, the group containing Milk, cheese and yoghur These foods provide a range of nutrients, such as: Calcium: for development and maintenance of healthy teeth and bone Protein: for energy, growth and repair Vitamin B12: for healthy blood cells and nerve function and Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): to release energy from carbohydrates and protein. The food group of meat, fish, eggs, soya, tofu, beans provides a range of nutrients, such as: Protein for growth, repair and maintenance of healthy muscles and bones. Vitamin B12 for healthy red blood cells and nerve and Omega 3 fatty acids that help maintain normal hear Foods from the food group that contains butter, oil, mar sugar and syrup should only be eaten in small am as part of a healthy and varied diet. The Eatwell Plate shows you the proportion of foo from each food group. Don’t forget that this includes everything you ea including sneaky snacks. These are the percentages of food that we should ea that are represented on The Eatwell Plate Fruit and vegetables 33% Bread, cereals, flour, oats, rice, potatoes and pasta Milk, cheese and yoghurt 15% Butter, oil, margarine, sugar and syrup 5% Meat, fish, eggs, soya, tofu, beans, nuts and see So, now you should know: The 5 Food Groups, the foods in each group and the main nutrients they contain. Come back piggy I only want to talk!

Video summary

A fact-packed but light-hearted animation, featuring the vocals talents of Radio 1's Greg James, that takes a look at the different food groups, and how the foods we eat everyday can be classified according to their main nutrients.

The Eatwell Guide has been created by Government to help define recommendations on eating healthily and achieving a balanced diet.

The illustrated guide introduces the five food groups that make up our diet, and is divided into sections showing how much or how little of each food group we should eat to maintain a balanced diet.

The five food groups are fruit and vegetables; potatoes, breads, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates; oils and spreads (the smallest section); dairy and alternatives; and beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins.

The largest and most important sections are fruit and vegetables and bread, potatoes, rice, and pasta, indicating that we should eat more from these sections than others, such as oils and spreads.

The guide also informs us of the importance of avoiding high fat, high sugar and salty products, of maintaining hydration and checking labelling on food packaging for fat, sugar and salt content.

This handy guide can be used when deciding what to eat, cooking a meal, shopping for groceries, or eating in a café or restaurant.

This clip is from the series Food Preparation and Nutrition.

Teacher Notes

Students could look carefully at recipes for a variety of dishes, comprising of ingredients from more than one food group.

Referring to the Eatwell Guide, students could place each main ingredient in the appropriate food groups, for example, with lasagne there is protein in the milk and meat, carbohydrate in the pasta; and fat in the roux sauce with cheese.

Students could look at the guide, and work out if the dish is balanced.

Students could compare their findings with others’ working on different dishes, and hold a class discussion on the outcomes.

Dishes could include lasagne, vegetable or meat samosas, thai fishcakes, shepherd’s pie, bolognese sauce made from vegetarian mince and served with wholemeal spaghetti, fruit scones with butter, jam and whipped cream.

This clip will be relevant for teaching Food Technology and Modern Studies at GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

This topic appears in OCR, Edexcel, AQA, WJEC KS4/GCSE in England and Wales, CCEA GCSE in Northern Ireland.