10 min read
What is the Eatwell Guide?
The Eatwell Guide is the UK government's primary tool for communicating healthy eating advice to the general public. It is a circular diagram divided into five colour-coded food group segments, each showing the proportion that group should contribute to a healthy, balanced diet.
It was developed in 2016 using linear programming. A mathematical modelling approach that works backwards from nutrient targets (set by SACN) to calculate what quantities of which food groups would, in combination, meet those targets. The proportions of the segments are not arbitrary. They reflect the mathematically optimised combination of food groups needed to hit UK dietary reference values for energy, protein, fibre, vitamins, and minerals.
A brief history
- 1994. The Balance of Good Health. The UK's first national food model, with similar food groups but different proportions.
- 2007. The Eatwell Plate. A revised version published by the Food Standards Agency.
- 2016. The Eatwell Guide. The current version, developed by Public Health England and the devolved administrations using linear programming. Renamed from "plate" to "guide" to better reflect that it represents balance over time, not an individual meal.
Since 2016 the food group segments and core recommendations have not changed. The last minor update was in 2024, which updated departmental references but did not change the dietary advice.
Who it applies to
The Eatwell Guide applies to most people aged 2 and over, regardless of weight, ethnic origin, or whether they eat meat or follow a vegetarian diet. It does not apply to children under 2, who have different nutritional needs including a higher fat requirement. People with specific medical conditions or dietary requirements should seek advice from a registered dietitian on how to adapt it.
The five food groups, by proportion of the plate
Guide
Approximate proportions. Adapted from the Eatwell Guide, Crown copyright, OHID with the Welsh Government, Food Standards Scotland, and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence.
The five food groups. What each one means
Group 1. Fruit and vegetables
The largest segment. At least 5 portions a day, each portion approximately 80g. Different colours carry different nutrients, so variety matters.
Portion examples: 1 medium apple, pear, or banana; 3 heaped tablespoons of vegetables; a dessert bowl of salad; 30g of dried fruit; or a 150ml glass of unsweetened fruit juice.
Counts
- Fresh, frozen, tinned (in juice/water)
- Dried fruit (30g portion)
- Unsweetened juice (150ml, max 1× per day)
Doesn't count
- Potatoes (in starchy carbs instead)
- Juice or smoothies beyond 1 portion
- Beans/pulses beyond 1 portion per day
Group 2. Starchy carbohydrates
Bread, rice, pasta, cereals, oats, and potatoes. Recommended as the basis of meals, just over a third of the diet. Clear guidance: choose wholegrain or higher-fibre versions where possible.
Includes: wholemeal bread, brown rice, wholewheat pasta, oats, wholegrain cereals, potatoes (with skin), sweet potatoes, corn, quinoa.
Why wholegrain matters: retains the bran and germ, providing significantly more fibre, B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc than refined equivalents. Slower, more stable blood glucose response. See the fibre guide.
On potatoes: nutritious and filling, but how they are prepared matters. Boiled or baked is very different from deep-fried.
Group 3. Protein foods
Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat, and other proteins including tofu, mycoprotein (Quorn), nuts, and seeds.
- Fish: at least 2 portions per week (2 × 140g), one oily (salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, trout). Tinned counts. See omega-3 guide.
- Red and processed meat: if eating more than 90g/day, cut down to no more than 70g.
- Beans and pulses: explicitly recommended as low-fat, high-fibre, high-protein meat alternatives.
- Eggs: good source of protein, B12, vitamin D, and selenium.
For a full breakdown of protein sources and requirements, see the protein guide.
Group 4. Dairy and alternatives
Milk, cheese, yoghurt, fromage frais, quark, and cream cheese. Plus plant-based alternatives (soya, oat, almond, and other plant milks and yoghurts). Butter and cream are not in this group. They are high in saturated fat and sit outside the main plate.
Key guidance: choose lower-fat and lower-sugar options. Semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, reduced-fat cheese, plain low-fat yoghurt. For plant-based alternatives, choose unsweetened and calcium-fortified versions.
Why it matters: dairy is the primary dietary source of calcium for most UK people, plus iodine (crucial for thyroid function), protein, and vitamins B2 and B12.
Group 5. Oils and spreads
The smallest segment. Some fat is essential, but all fats are energy-dense. The emphasis is on unsaturated plant oils. Olive oil, rapeseed oil, vegetable oil, sunflower oil. Rather than saturated fats such as butter, lard, ghee, and coconut oil.
Butter and ghee are not in this segment. They are high in saturated fat and placed in the "foods to eat less often" zone outside the main plate. See omega-3 and omega-6 guide for more on choosing oils.
Foods high in fat, salt, and sugar
Chocolate, cakes, biscuits, crisps, pastries, ice cream, sugary soft drinks, and butter sit outside the main Eatwell Guide diagram. Not as part of a food group but as foods to eat less often and in small amounts. The guide does not say "never". It says these foods are not necessary as part of a healthy diet, and most people need to cut down on them.
The 8 tips for eating well
The NHS publishes 8 companion tips alongside the Eatwell Guide. Practical guidance that goes beyond food group proportions and covers specific behaviours that support a healthy diet.
Base meals on higher-fibre starchy carbohydrates
Choose wholegrain versions of bread, pasta, and rice. Try to include a starchy food at each main meal as the base around which the meal is built.
Eat lots of fruit and vegetables
At least 5 portions of a variety per day. Fresh, frozen, tinned, dried, and juiced all count. Frozen is nutritionally equivalent to fresh and often less expensive.
Eat more fish, including a portion of oily fish
At least 2 portions per week (2 × 140g), one oily. Salmon, mackerel, sardines, herring, or trout. Most UK adults eat far less. See omega-3 guide.
Cut down on saturated fat
Saturated fat raises LDL cholesterol and increases cardiovascular risk. Limit butter, fatty cuts of meat, hard cheese, cream, cakes, and biscuits. Choose lean meats, lower-fat dairy, and unsaturated plant oils.
Eat less sugar
Limit foods and drinks high in added sugar. The UK free sugar limit is 30g/day for adults and most are double that. See sugar guide.
Eat less salt. No more than 6g a day
Most UK adults eat around 8.4g per day. 40% over the limit. Most of that comes from processed food rather than the salt shaker. See salt guide.
Get active and be a healthy weight
Diet and activity work together. The guide is built around broadly appropriate energy intake. Around 2,000 kcal/day for women, 2,500 kcal/day for men, with significant individual variation.
Do not skip breakfast
A nutritious breakfast (particularly one based on fibre-rich whole foods like oats or wholemeal toast) helps maintain blood-glucose stability and reduces the likelihood of mid-morning snacking on energy-dense, nutrient-poor foods.
Hydration. What the guide says about drinks
The Eatwell Guide includes explicit guidance on fluids:
- Drink 6 to 8 glasses (around 1.2 to 2 litres) of fluid per day
- Water, lower-fat milk, lower-sugar or sugar-free drinks, and tea and coffee all count
- Fruit juice and smoothies count towards fluid intake but also contribute free sugars. Limit to a combined 150ml per day maximum
- Alcohol is not included. The Eatwell Guide does not cover alcohol consumption. That is addressed separately by UK low-risk drinking guidelines (no more than 14 units per week)
How the Eatwell Guide relates to ultra-processed food
One of the most common questions from people who have read about ultra-processed food and the NOVA classification is: does the Eatwell Guide address UPF?
The honest answer is: not explicitly. But implicitly, the guide already excludes most of the most problematic UPF.
On the plate (mostly NOVA 1–3)
- Whole fruit and vegetables (NOVA 1)
- Whole grains and potatoes (NOVA 1 or 2)
- Beans, pulses, fish, eggs (NOVA 1 or 2)
- Dairy: milk, plain yoghurt, cheese (NOVA 2 or 3)
- Plant oils (NOVA 2)
Outside the plate (mostly NOVA 4)
- Crisps, biscuits, cakes, pastries
- Confectionery, chocolate
- Sugary soft drinks and ice cream
- Processed meat: bacon, sausages, salami, ham
- Butter (saturated-fat reason rather than processing)
The official SACN position (2024): "The Eatwell Guide, which is based on SACN's recommendations, already indicates that many foods classified as ultra-processed are not part of a healthy, balanced diet, as they are high in calories, saturated fat, salt, or sugar."
What the Eatwell Guide does not address
- It does not use the word "ultra-processed" or the NOVA classification
- Some UPF sits on the main plate without any specific flag. Many breakfast cereals, some packaged breads, mass-produced wholemeal products, plant-based meat alternatives, and some flavoured yoghurts are technically ultra-processed but appear in food groups that the guide endorses
- A 2025 Proceedings of the Nutrition Society review (Rayner, Oxford) noted that the guide "does not take into account food processing" and that "it is difficult to see how this could be done without radical revision"
Practical implication for Nourishment for Life users: the Food Insight scanner's NOVA processing level overlay adds a dimension that the Eatwell Guide does not capture. A product could sit in the right food group but still be NOVA Group 4. The scanner shows both. See the UPF guide for the broader picture.
Criticisms and limitations. The honest picture
The Eatwell Guide is the most widely used healthy-eating communication tool in UK health policy, but it has attracted legitimate criticisms from nutrition researchers. Presented fairly here.
What critics say
2025 Oxford/Nuffield review (Rayner, Proceedings of the Nutrition Society):
- The food group segments and proportions have been essentially unchanged since 1995
- The guide does not account for food processing (NOVA or any other classification)
- The guide does not adequately address environmental sustainability. The most significant criticism in the 2025 review
Other contested points:
- The starchy carbohydrate proportion is sometimes argued to be too high for people with insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes (a clinical consideration rather than a population-level critique)
- Concerns historically raised about food industry engagement in dietary guideline development. The 2016 linear-programming methodology was explicitly designed to reduce this
What the guide gets right
Despite the criticisms, the guide's core messages are well-supported by the evidence and consistent with what the best dietary research worldwide recommends:
- Eat more fruit and vegetables
- Choose wholegrain carbohydrates over refined
- Eat oily fish twice a week
- Eat less saturated fat and added sugar
- Limit salt to 6g a day
- Limit processed and red meat
Critics who dismiss the guide entirely often do so from ideological positions rather than from evidence. The structure is consistent with SACN's independent scientific reviews and with international dietary guidelines.
Using the Eatwell Guide in practice
The Eatwell Guide is a framework, not a rigid prescription. Here is how to use it practically.
Think in days and weeks, not meals
The guide explicitly states it "does not need to be achieved at every meal". A breakfast of oats with berries, a lunch of a tuna salad sandwich on wholemeal bread, and a dinner of salmon with brown rice and broccoli would reflect the guide's proportions across a day without any individual meal needing to be a perfect breakdown.
Use it to identify imbalances, not just confirm what you already eat
The most useful function for many people is not the food it recommends (most people know they should eat vegetables) but the foods it places outside the plate. If ultra-processed snacks, sugary drinks, or processed meat are a regular daily part of the diet, the guide is a useful prompt.
Composite dishes count too
A pasta bake contains starchy carbohydrates (pasta), vegetables (onion, tomatoes, peppers), protein (chicken or beans), and dairy (cheese). The guide explicitly addresses this: "Think about the main ingredients and how these fit with the sections of the guide." You do not need to eat food groups separately.
For vegetarians and vegans
The guide explicitly applies regardless of whether you eat meat, and mentions beans, pulses, tofu, and mycoprotein as protein alternatives. Vegans should pay particular attention to calcium-fortified plant milks (in the dairy section), and to supplementing vitamin B12. Absent from plant foods.
For older adults (65+)
Protein requirements increase with age (see the protein guide). The Eatwell Guide's proportions are designed for the general adult population and may understate protein needs for older adults, particularly those at risk of sarcopenia. Registered dietitians can adapt the guide for older adults.
Key numbers from the Eatwell Guide at a glance
Sources and references
- Public Health England. The Eatwell Guide. GOV.UK, 2016 (updated 2024).
- NHS. The Eatwell Guide. nhs.uk.
- SACN. Processed foods and health: rapid evidence update. GOV.UK, 2023.
- Rayner M et al. Is the Eatwell Guide still appropriate for the UK? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 2025 (Cambridge Core).
- Food Standards Agency and Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. The Eatwell Guide: how to use in promotional material. GOV.UK.
- NHS. 8 tips for eating well. nhs.uk.
- SACN. Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom.
- Carbon Trust. Environmental assessment of the Eatwell Guide diet. Commissioned by Public Health England, 2016.
- FAO. Food-based dietary guidelines, United Kingdom. fao.org.
Whole Foods →
Why every dietary pattern linked to longer, healthier life is built around minimally processed whole foods.
Ultra-Processed Foods →
What UPF is, why over half of UK calories come from it, and how the Eatwell Guide implicitly addresses it.
Reading Food Labels →
Traffic lights, reference intakes, ingredient lists, NOVA groups. Everything on a UK food label decoded.