Understanding New Zealand’s Eating and Activity Guidelines

What you will be able to do

• describe the four food groups in New Zealand's Eating and Activity Guidelines and how many servings of each to aim for.
• explain what counts as a serving of vegetables and fruit, including potatoes, kūmara and taro.
• choose wholegrain and higher-fibre grain foods and explain why fibre matters.
• apply New Zealand guidance on legumes, fish and seafood, red and processed meat, milk products and fats.
• place foods high in saturated fat, salt and added sugar in context, and use the sodium target, iodised salt advice and the water-first message.
• use the guidelines to build balanced breakfasts, lunches, dinners and mixed dishes.
• make simple, budget-friendly swaps that move your usual meals closer to the guidelines.

1. 1Meet New Zealand's Eating and Activity Guidelines

   What the guidelines are, who publishes them, who they are for, and how to read the daily servings as a picture of balance over time.

   • What the guidelines are and who they are for
   • Reading the guidelines: servings over a day or a week

   Printable Food Groups GuideMeal Balance Checker

2. 2Vegetables, Fruit and Grain Foods

   Vegetables and fruit and grain foods make up most of what we eat. Learn what counts as a serving, how many to aim for, and how to choose higher-fibre options.

   • Vegetables and fruit: at least 5 and 2 a day
   • Grain foods: mostly wholegrain and high in fibre

   7-Day Food Groups TrackerServing Size Guide Card

3. 3Protein Foods, Milk Products and Fats

   New Zealand guidance on legumes, nuts, seeds, fish and seafood, eggs, poultry and red meat, plus how to choose milk products, alternatives and fats.

   • Legumes, nuts, seeds, fish and other seafood, eggs, poultry and red meat
   • Milk and milk products, and choosing fats

   Healthier Swaps ListServing Size Guide Card

4. 4Salt, Sugar, Drinks and Labels

   Where foods high in saturated fat, salt and added sugar fit, the sodium target and iodised salt, why water comes first, and how labels help.

   • Foods high in saturated fat, salt and added sugar
   • Drinks: water first
   • Using food labels alongside the guidelines

   Healthier Swaps List7-Day Food Groups TrackerMeal Balance Checker

5. 5Building Real Meals

   Put it all together: balanced breakfasts, lunches and dinners, mixed dishes, whānau meals, eating on a budget and making changes stick.

   • Breakfast, lunch and dinner the New Zealand way
   • Mixed dishes, whānau meals and eating out
   • Healthier swaps on a budget, and making it stick

   Meal Balance CheckerPrintable Food Groups GuideHealthier Swaps List7-Day Food Groups Tracker

• CardsPrintable Food Groups GuideA printable set of cards that summarises every food group in New Zealand's Eating and Activity Guidelines, with the official servings, to keep on your fridge.
• CheckerMeal Balance CheckerTick what is in one meal to see how closely it matches New Zealand's Eating and Activity Guidelines and which food group you could add next time.
• CardsServing Size Guide CardA pocket card that helps you judge New Zealand serving sizes using cups and your hands, so you do not need scales.
• ListHealthier Swaps ListSimple, realistic swaps that move everyday meals, snacks and drinks closer to New Zealand's Eating and Activity Guidelines.
• Tracker7-Day Food Groups TrackerTrack your vegetables and fruit, wholegrains, legumes or fish, drinks and foods to have less often for one week to see your pattern.