Balanced Meal Planner – Energy, Nutrients and Traffic-Light Labels
Design & TechnologyFood & TextilesAges 11–12
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Sign in to playDrag foods onto breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks to plan a day's eating. The simulation adds up energy (kcal and kJ), carbohydrate, protein, fat, saturated fat, sugars, fibre, salt, vitamin C, calcium and iron and compares them with reference intakes for the chosen age, sex and activity level. Switch to the plate model to compare the food groups with a healthy-eating plate, or open the traffic-light nutrition label of any food.
Lesson: Food and nutrition: food groups, nutritional needs and planning a balanced diet
What it shows
A balanced diet supplies enough energy and nutrients without too much fat, saturated fat, sugar or salt. Each food here has approximate values per 100 g from standard food composition tables. The day's totals are compared with reference values for the chosen age, sex and activity level: energy should be close to the need, protein, fibre, vitamin C, calcium and iron should reach their targets, and fat, saturates, sugars and salt should stay below their limits. The traffic-light label uses the per-100 g thresholds common on European food packs.
How to use
Choose Age, Sex and Activity, then pick a Sample menu or press Clear all and build your own day. Drag foods into a meal or tap them to add them to the highlighted meal, and use − and + to change portions. Under View, switch between Nutrients, Plate model and Traffic-light label; tapping a food in a meal opens its label.
Parameters you can change
- Age group 11–14 years, 15–18 years, Adult
- Sex Female, Male
- Activity level Low activity, Moderate activity, High activity
- Starting sample menu Balanced, Lots of fast food, Vegetarian (eggs and dairy), Empty
- View Nutrients, Plate model, Traffic-light label
Questions to explore
- In the fast-food menu, which nutrients go over the limit and which fall short?
- Why do teenage girls often fall short of iron, and which foods could you add?
- Which parts of the cola's traffic-light label are red, and why?
