love your plate.

Eating well isn’t about rules or restriction, it’s about building meals that nourish your body, give you energy and bring enjoyment to the table. Whether you’re cooking at home, packing a lunch or eating out, knowing how to put together a balanced plate can help you feel your best every day.

Why balance matters

A balanced plate means getting the right mix of foods to give your body the nutrients it needs. Understanding the five food groups and how much to include of them each day can help you feel confident that your meals are fuelling you well and giving you the variety and flavour you deserve.

Balance is also about recognising that some days will look different from others and that’s okay. What matters is your overall pattern of eating across the day, week and month, not whether every single meal ticks every box.

Meet the five food groups

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating is based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines and visually shows a daily pattern of eating that promotes good health. Built around five food groups, it provides a flexible framework to help you fuel your body, support your wellbeing and enjoy your meals.

Lets go through the five food groups and see how they work for our body!

1. Vegetables and legumes/beans

Vegetables bring colour, flavour and a wide range of vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants to support your immune system, digestion and overall health. 

Legumes like beans, lentils and chickpeas also add plant-based protein and fibre. Legumes can count toward your intake of vegetables or meat alternatives (more on those later)!

Examples:

2. Grains (cereal) foods

When it comes to grains or cereal foods, try to choose wholegrain or wholemeal options most of the time. These foods contain all parts of the grain (the bran, germ and endosperm) so they deliver more fibre, vitamins and minerals. Fibre is particularly important for digestion, helping stabilise blood sugar levels and keeping you fuller for longer.

Refined grains, like white bread or white rice, have had some parts of the grain removed. They can still be part of a balanced diet, but wholegrains are more nutrient dense and help keep you feeling fuller for longer.

Wholegrain examples:

3. Lean meats and meat alternatives

Lean meats and meat alternatives are important sources of protein in our diet. Protein is important for building and repairing muscle. 

Both animal and plant-based protein are great for your body but variety is key! It is always a good idea to try change up the variety of proteins in your meals to give you a wider range of nutrients. 

Examples:

4. Fruits

Fruits add colour, flavours and natural sweetness to your plate while providing vitamins and minerals needed for our body to function well. Whole fruit is also a great source of fibre to help with digestion.

Fruit makes a great snack or can be added to smoothies and baking for delicious pops of colour and flavour.

Examples:

5. Dairy and dairy alternatives

Dairy foods are a major source of easy to absorb calcium which is important for strong bones and teeth. This is particularly important at times of growth and aging which is why dairy requirements vary across the different ages and stages of life. Dairy is also a great source of protein and other micronutrients like vitamin D, B12 and zinc.

Examples:

The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating shows what a balanced day of eating can look like to support health and wellbeing. But you don’t need to include every food group in every meal and snack to reach that goal. One simple approach is to use the framework below for your main meals and then top up your intake of other food groups by adding to your main meals or with snacks throughout the day.

For main meals, aim to fill:

• ½ your plate with vegetables and/or legumes 
• ¼ of your plate with wholegrains or cereal foods 
• ¼ of your plate with lean meats and alternatives

This keeps your main meals balanced and satisfying.

Adding dairy, fruit and additional grain or cereal foods across the day:

These food groups make delicious additions to mains and are fantastic as snacks.

• Dairy: Add cheese as a garnish to pasta or salads, enjoy milk with breakfast cereal or in coffee or make a snack pack with cheese, fruit slices and wholegrain crackers.
• Fruit: Use fruit for snacks, brighten up salads with citrus or apple slices or grate it into breakfast bowls and sauces for natural sweetness.
• Grain or cereal foods: Make a great base for snacks. Think crackers, a slice of toast or a jar of overnight oats. Carbohydrates provide you with energy, and fibre in wholegrain foods helps to keep you fuller between meals.

This way, your main meals give you the core balance, while snacks and garnishes help meet your dairy, fruit and additional grain or cereals needs without making things complicated.

Putting it into practice

Breakfast ideas

Example 1: Baked beans on toast with cheese

Example 2: Eggs on toast with roasted tomato

Lunch ideas

Example 1: Falafel and salad wrap

Example 2: Chicken salad sandwich

Example 3: Tuna and bean salad with rice

Dinner ideas

Example 1: Veggie loaded spaghetti bolognese

Example 2: Chicken curry with chickpeas and rice

Example 3: Zucchini slice

Snack ideas

You can use a similar format for building snacks but try swapping out the veggies for fruit!

Example: Oats with fruit and nuts