Building a Gluten-Free Plate

Overview

Lesson 4 of 18 in Navigating Gluten-Free Lives. Students apply the Eatwell Plate model to coeliac dietary needs, distinguishing naturally gluten-free foods from suitable alternatives and considering balanced nutrition, label reading, and cross-contamination.

Learning intentions

• WALT understand how the Eatwell Plate supports balanced diets for people with coeliac disease.
• WALT know which foods contain gluten and which are suitable gluten-free choices.
• WALT do: design and justify a balanced gluten-free Eatwell Plate.
• WALT recognise that safe food preparation is part of supporting well-being.

Success criteria

• I can identify the main food groups and their contribution to well-being.
• I can select suitable gluten-free foods from each relevant group.
• I can explain how my plate meets the nutritional needs of a person with coeliac disease.
• I can include at least two actions that reduce gluten cross-contamination.

Curriculum links

• Analyse an adolescent health issue: explain influences on health, consequences for well-being, and strategies that promote well-being.
• Take action to enhance an aspect of people’s well-being: develop a workable plan that improves well-being within the school or wider community.
• Evaluate factors that influence people’s ability to manage change: recognise risk and protective factors and recommend personal, interpersonal, and societal strategies.
• Health and Physical Education concepts: hauora, a socio-ecological perspective, health promotion, and attitudes and values.

Lesson structure (60 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Hook and prior knowledge. Teacher displays a picture of two apparently similar sandwiches using the opening comparison slide and asks, “Why might one be unsafe for a person with coeliac disease?” Students complete a think-pair-share, then identify what they already know about gluten, coeliac disease, and balanced eating.

2. 7–18 min · Explicit teaching: Understand and Know. Teacher uses the Eatwell Plate teaching slides to revisit the Eatwell Plate food groups, portion guidance, variety, fibre, calcium, iron, and the role of water; explain that coeliac disease is an autoimmune condition in which gluten damages the small intestine, so gluten must be avoided consistently. Students record a three-column summary in the gluten-free Eatwell Plate worksheet: “Understand”, “Know”, and “Do”.

3. 18–28 min · Food choice and safety scenarios. Teacher presents the scenarios on the food-choice scenario slides: choosing breakfast cereal, packing lunch, eating at a café, and preparing food for a guest with coeliac disease. Students work in pairs to classify choices as suitable, unsuitable, or requiring further checking, giving a reason for each decision. Emphasise checking ingredient and allergen information, avoiding assumptions about “wheat-free”, and preventing crumbs or shared utensils from contaminating food.

4. 28–45 min · Main task: design. Teacher models one balanced gluten-free meal on the design instructions slide, thinking aloud about food-group balance, variety, affordability, cultural acceptability, and safe preparation. Students independently design a gluten-free Eatwell Plate on the gluten-free Eatwell Plate worksheet for an adolescent with coeliac disease. Their design must include foods from the main food groups, a drink, at least one fibre-rich choice, and two practical steps to prevent cross-contamination.

5. 45–54 min · Peer review and improvement. Teacher displays the peer-review prompts on the peer-review slide and pairs students for feedback. Students check whether the plate is balanced, genuinely gluten-free, realistic for a young person, and supported by clear safety actions; they then make one specific improvement and explain why it strengthens hauora.

6. 54–60 min · Plenary and assessment. Teacher uses the plenary slide to revisit the learning intentions and asks selected students to share one design decision. Students complete the final reflection on the gluten-free Eatwell Plate worksheet: “One food I selected and why”, “One risk of gluten contamination”, and “One action I can take to support safe, inclusive food choices.”

Resources

• the Eatwell Plate and coeliac needs slide deck
• the gluten-free Eatwell Plate worksheet
• Projector or interactive display
• Images or examples of food packaging and ingredient lists
• Coloured pencils or felt pens
• Whiteboard and markers
• Access to current school food-safety procedures
• Optional safe food packaging for demonstration only

Assessment

• During questioning, listen for accurate understanding of gluten, coeliac disease, food groups, and cross-contamination; correct misconceptions immediately.
• Check pair scenario explanations for evidence-based reasoning rather than simple “yes/no” decisions.
• Collect the worksheet to assess whether each student has designed a balanced, realistic gluten-free plate and justified food and safety choices.

Differentiation

• Provide a food-group word bank, a visual Eatwell Plate, sentence starters such as “This choice supports well-being because…”, and a list of naturally gluten-free foods for students needing support.
• Read scenario text aloud, provide enlarged print, and allow speech-to-text or oral explanation where appropriate. Avoid asking students to disclose personal medical or dietary information.
• Pair students strategically for discussion, while ensuring each student completes an individual design.
• Challenge advanced learners to compare the cost, availability, cultural suitability, and nutritional value of two gluten-free alternatives, or to adapt their plate for a vegetarian adolescent while maintaining balance and safety.
• Include a teachable moment about inclusion: students should consider how a school can make shared meals, cafés, and hospitality practices safer and less isolating for people with coeliac disease.

Extension

• Develop a one-day gluten-free school lunch plan, including a shopping list, label-checking decisions, and safe preparation sequence.
• Explain which personal, interpersonal, and school-wide actions would make gluten-free eating more accessible and socially supportive.