The Five Food Groups
Children need a variety of foods every day to grow well - vegetables, fruit, grains, dairy, and meat or meat alternatives. No single food group does all the work, which is why variety across the week matters more than any one meal.
How much is enough?
According to Eat For Health(opens in new tab), children aged 2-3 need around 1 serve of fruit, 2½ serves of vegetables, 1½ serves of dairy, 4 serves of grains and 1 serve of meat or meat alternatives each day.
By 4-8 years, this increases to around 1½ serves of fruit, 4½ serves of vegetables, 1½-2 serves of dairy, 4 serves of grains and 1½ serves of meat or meat alternatives.
What a serve looks like
- Fruit: 1 medium piece, or 1 cup diced
- Vegetables: ½ cup cooked, or 1 cup salad
- Dairy: 1 cup milk, 2 slices cheese, or ¾ cup yoghurt
- Grains: 1 slice bread, or ½ cup cooked rice or pasta
- Meat and alternatives: 65g cooked lean meat, 80g chicken, 100g fish, 2 eggs, or 1 cup cooked legumes
These numbers are a guide, not a target to hit at every single meal - children's appetites naturally vary from day to day, and that's completely normal.
Back to Healthy Menu & Nutrition.