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      Different amounts of food

      Lesson details

      Learning outcome

      I can describe why it is important for humans to eat the right amounts of different types of food.

      Key learning points

      1. Different types of food can help our bodies in different ways.
      2. It is important for humans to eat the right amounts of different types of food.
      3. Amounts of food can be planned for using a circle or triangle divided into different portions.

      Keywords

      • Food - Food gives living things energy and helps them to stay healthy.

      • Healthy - The health of a living thing is how well or ill it is. A healthy diet keeps a person or animal well.

      • Amount - An amount is a quantity of something.

      • Unhealthy - Something that is unhealthy is not good for your health.

      • Portion - A portion is the amount of food that is given to one person at a meal.

      Common misconception

      Pupils may think that a ‘balanced’ diet should include equal-sized proportions of the different food groups (rather than appropriate amounts of each food group).

      Explanation that humans need to eat different amounts of foods, depending on how healthy or unhealthy they are for us. Explanation of the importance of eating different types of food.

      Teacher tip

      For Task B, create a large triangle on the floor using masking tape. Divide the triangle into five labelled sections and sort real items of food into each section. Pupils can then discuss the different types of food they eat and which part of the triangle these would be in.

      Equipment

      Masking tape, a variety of different foods.

      Content guidance

      Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

      Supervision

      Adult supervision recommended

      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.
      How can foods like meat, fish and soya help our bodies?

      Correct answer: they help our bodies to grow
      they help our bones stay healthy
      they help our teeth to stay healthy

      Q2.
      How does drinking milk help a human's body?

      Drinking milk is good personal hygiene.
      Drinking milk is a way of exercising.
      Correct answer: Drinking milk can help to keep a human's bones and teeth healthy.

      Q3.
      True or false? Foods containing lots of fat or sugar are healthy for humans when eaten often.

      Correct Answer: false

      Q4.
      Which of these will help a human to be more healthy?

      eating more foods that contain lots of sugar
      Correct answer: making the right choices about the food they eat
      eating the same foods every day

      Q5.
      Which of these foods should a human eat often?

      Correct answer: tomatoes, soya and carrots
      sweets, chocolate and biscuits
      cake, chips and pizza

      Q6.
      Why is it important for humans to eat different types of food?

      Humans like eating different types of food.
      Correct answer: Different types of food can help a human's body in different ways.
      Humans eat different foods at different times of the day.

      6 Questions

      Q1.
      Humans should eat different types of food because ...

      different types of food taste nice.
      Correct answer: different types of food help our bodies in different ways.
      humans like different types of food.

      Q2.
      True or false? Humans should eat the same amount of different types of foods.

      Correct Answer: false

      Q3.
      What is a portion?

      Correct answer: A portion is the amount of food a human eats.
      A portion is a type of food.
      A portion is a healthy food.

      Q4.
      Which of these can help a human to plan how much of each type of food to eat?

      a ruler
      Correct answer: a triangle
      sorting hoops

      Q5.
      What should make up the largest portion of a human's meal?

      foods that have a lot of fats and sugars
      milk and dairy
      Correct answer: fruit and vegetables

      Q6.
      What type of food is missing from this food triangle?

      An image in a quiz
      foods with a lot of fat or sugar
      Correct answer: fruit and vegetables
      meat, fish, eggs and beans

      To help you plan your 2 science lesson on: Different amounts of food, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...