HealthFreePrintable

Nutrition and Food Groups

A free health worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Nutrition and Food Groups

Help plan a nourishing lunch for a busy day of learning, sport and time with friends. Use the food-group knowledge below. Foods can fit more than one group; choose the group that best matches each food in these questions.

Know the food groups

New Zealand healthy-eating guidance groups foods into five main groups: vegetables and fruit; grain foods; milk and milk products; legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, eggs, poultry and meat; and unsaturated oils and spreads. A balanced pattern includes a variety of foods, with plenty of vegetables and fruit.

1.Mere is making a quick food-group guide. Which option names the five main groups in the guidance above most accurately?

Vegetables and fruit; grain foods; milk and milk products; legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, eggs, poultry and meat; unsaturated oils and spreads
Fruit; sweets; meat; fizzy drinks; dairy
Vegetables; water; grains; desserts; protein bars
Grains; dairy; meat; oils; supplements

2.A lunchbox has an apple, wholegrain bread, hummus, carrot sticks and yoghurt. Match each food to the best-fitting group from the list: vegetables and fruit; grain foods; milk and milk products; legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, eggs, poultry and meat.

Apple
Wholegrain bread
Hummus (made from chickpeas)
Carrot sticks
Yoghurt

Grain foods
Vegetables and fruit
Legumes, nuts, seeds, fish, eggs, poultry and meat
Vegetables and fruit
Milk and milk products

3.A useful plate guide includes vegetables and fruit. Identify the fraction represented by the shaded part of the fraction bar.

4.A balanced plate guide also suggests about one-quarter grain foods and one-quarter foods from the protein-rich group. If a plate has four equal sections, how many sections in total are for those two groups?

Make good choices in context

For the next questions, think about variety, everyday nourishment and practical choices—not perfect meals. Food needs and access differ between people, and foods from many cultures can be nourishing.

5.Rangi has a lunchtime football practice. Which snack-and-drink option is the most nourishing everyday choice from these options?

A banana, a handful of unsalted nuts (if safe for him), and water
Lollies and an energy drink
A packet of crisps and fizzy drink
A chocolate bar instead of lunch

6.True or false: A nourishing meal has to contain meat and dairy to provide useful nutrients.

TrueFalse

7.Talia’s lunch is white bread with jam and a sweet drink. Suggest one change that would add variety by including a food from a different group, and name the group it comes from.

8.In your own words, explain one way a varied eating pattern can support everyday wellbeing, such as learning, movement or feeling well. Give one example that connects a food choice to your explanation.

9.Plan one balanced lunch using foods you enjoy. Include at least one vegetable or fruit, one grain food, one protein-rich food, and a drink. Name the food group for each food and explain one reason your plan has variety.