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      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can suggest improvements to meals, with reasons for my choices.

      Key learning points

      1. When planning to cook, we should consider current healthy eating advice, the needs of different people, and occasion. 
      2. Meals can be evaluated against the Eatwell Guide for improvements.
      3. A food allergy is when the body reacts badly to specific foods, from mild to severe.
      4. We can plan a healthy diet (meals) over a day or more.

      Keywords

      • Diet - all the food and drink we consume

      • Healthy - to be fit and well; good for your health

      • Allergy - a bad reaction to certain food or drinks

      Common misconception

      A healthy meal needs to have all the food groups from the Eatwell Guide.

      We do not need to eat all the food groups at each meal. We can get all the food groups through different meals in the day.

      Teacher tip

      Use real examples of menus and food packaging for pupils to use to create healthy meals, as well as identify any foods that might cause an allergic reaction.

      Licence

      This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2026), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0
      except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions
      (Collection 2).

      Lesson video

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      Prior knowledge starter quiz

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Match the food to the food group.

      Correct Answer:canned tomatoes and frozen peas,Fruit and vegetables
      Correct Answer:bagels and spaghetti,Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta
      Correct Answer:baked beans and tuna,Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat
      Correct Answer:milk and yogurt,Dairy and alternatives

      Q2.
      Which are the two biggest food groups?

      An image in a quiz
      Correct answer: Fruit and vegetables
      Dairy and alternatives
      Beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat
      Correct answer: Potatoes, bread, rice and pasta

      Q3.
      True or false? Healthy meals should always include a drink.

      Correct answer: True
      False

      Q4.
      Which of these foods do we need to eat lots of?

      sweets and cakes
      dairy and alternatives
      Correct answer: fruit and vegetables

      Q5.
      Put the Eatwell Guide food groups into the correct order - biggest to smallest.

      1 - Fruit and vegetables
      2 - Beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat
      3 - Dairy and alternatives
      4 - Oils and spreads

      Q6.
      We all need to have a diet.

      Correct Answer: healthy
      Q2 © Crown copyright, OHID in association with the Welsh government, Food Standards Scotland and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland.

      5 Questions

      Q1.
      A diet is ...

      all the food we consume.
      all the drinks we consume.
      Correct answer: all the food and drinks we consume.

      Q2.
      True or false? A healthy meal needs to have all the food groups from the Eatwell Guide.

      True
      Correct answer: False

      Q3.
      Match the food group to how much we should have each day.

      Correct Answer:Fruit and vegetables,at least 5 A DAY
      Correct Answer:Potatoes, bread, rice and pasta,with every meal, around 3 - 4 a day
      Correct Answer:Beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat,some each day, around 2 -3

      Q4.
      We can use the to help us plan healthy meals for a day or more.

      Correct Answer: Eatwell Guide, EatwellGuide, eatwell Guide, Eatwell guide, eatwellguide

      Q5.
      Which of these foods are more likely to cause a food allergy?

      Correct answer: peanuts
      bananas
      Correct answer: eggs
      carrots

      To help you plan your 4 cooking and nutrition lesson on: Eat well every day, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...