Balanced meals — Health, 7–10 years
Our bodies need different kinds of food for energy, growth and repair. A balanced meal brings variety together instead of making one food do every job.
Different jobs for food
Food gives the body materials and energy for moving, thinking, growing and repairing itself. Fruit and vegetables, starchy foods, protein foods and dairy or alternatives each bring useful things, so variety matters.
Why not eat one favourite food?
No single food contains everything the body needs in the right amounts. Variety solves this problem: foods can support one another, so an ordinary meal can provide several kinds of fuel and building materials.
Building a lunch
Imagine lunch with rice, beans, tomato and yoghurt. Rice supplies energy, beans add protein and fibre, tomato adds vitamins and water, and yoghurt adds protein and calcium: together they cover different needs.
Healthy is not one label
It is tempting to call a food simply good or bad, especially when adverts use those words. A better question is what it offers, how much we eat and what else is in the meal; balance is about the whole pattern.
Choices in real life
Balanced eating helps when choosing a school lunch, packing a picnic or deciding what to add to a snack. It does not mean every plate must look perfect; over a day, variety can be built from many ordinary choices.
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