Healthy eating plan patterns
To have a healthy eating plan:
- Eat the right amount for your needs – examples of food intake plans for three different energy levels are given.
- Choose a food intake pattern that suits the food you have available to you and that you can afford.
- Enjoy a variety of foods from each food group within a day, from week to week and during the year when different foods are available.
- Use foods from most of the food groups, most days of the week.
- Most of the eating plan will consist of foods from plants; some foods from animals may be included.
- Water is an important part of healthy eating; make plans to be sure you have water available during the day.
There are many ways of creating a healthy eating plan. Two different patterns are given in the tables below. These are based on the Guidelines for Healthy Eating and allow individual preferences to be taken into account. These recommended eating plans are based on all the food groups, and provide the energy and nutrients needed by children, teenagers and adults of average height and moderate activity levels.
Eating pattern A is a economic pattern with more starchy food options and less animal food options whereas eating pattern B has more animal food options and less starchy food options.
Additional units from the food groups will be needed by people who are taller than average and / or who are very active. Discretionary foods (foods with little nutritional value) may be eaten on occasion instead of some of the units of starchy foods.
Energy needs for different groups of people
| Energy intake kilojoules (kj) per day | ||
| BOYS / MEN | GIRLS / WOMEN | |
| 5 - 9 years old | 6 500 | 6 500 |
| 10 - 13 years old | 8 500 | 8 500 |
| 14 - 18 years old | 10 500 | 8 500 to 10 500 |
| Adults | 10 500 | 8 500 |
| Sedentary and older adults | 8 500 | 6 500 |
The tables below show how many food guide units you need from each food group every day, based on your energy requirement level and your preferred eating pattern.
Eating pattern A
| Energy level | 6 500 kj | 8 500 kj | 10 500 kj |
| Starchy foods | 8 | 11 | 15 |
| Vegetables | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Fruit | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Drybeans, split peas, lentils, soya | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Fish, chicken, lean meat, eggs | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Milk, maas, yoghurt | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Fat, oil | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Sugar | 2 | 6 | 6 |
Eating pattern B
| Energy level | 6 500 kj | 8 500 kj | 10 500 kj |
| Starchy foods | 5 | 7 | 10 |
| Vegetables | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Fruit | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Drybeans, split peas, lentils, soya | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Fish, chicken, lean meat, eggs | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Milk, maas, yoghurt | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Fat, oil | 4 | 6 | 8 |
| Sugar | 2 | 6 | 6 |