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Food groups and serving size

Key points about food groups and serving size

Eating well helps you maintain a healthy body weight and prevent health conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure or heart disease. It's also key to good mental wellbeing.
The 4 main food groups are vegetables and fruits, grain foods, milk and milk products, and proteins.
Eating the recommended number of serving sizes of each food group each day is the best way to get all the nutrients you need.
Plan your meals and snacks ahead of time so you don’t end up buying food that might not be a healthy option.
This is a general page on food groups and serving size. We also have a page on food groups and serving size for children.

Balanced plate of food with protein carb fruit and veg

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What you eat and the way you cook your food can affect your overall health and wellbeing. Unhealthy food choices, not enough physical activity and obesity can increase the risk of health conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and a range of cancers.

Plan your meals and snacks (if you need these) ahead of time so you don’t end up having to buy food when you’re out that's not a healthy option. Once you’ve planned meals for one week you can make slight changes for the following weeks to make sure you have variety.

Make plain water your first choice over other drinks. If you drink alcohol, keep your intake low and don't drink it if you are pregnant.

Choose and/or prepare foods and drinks:

with unsaturated fat (eg, canola oil, olive oil, margarine) instead of saturated fat (eg, butter, cream, coconut oil)
that are low in salt (sodium)
with little or no added sugar
that are mostly ‘whole’ and less processed.

Prepare, cook and store food in a way that ensures it is safe to eat.

The 4 different food groups are:

vegetables and fruit
grain foods
milk and milk products
legumes, nuts, seeds, fish and other seafood, eggs, poultry and/or red meat with the fat removed.

The Eating and activity guidelines for NZ adults(external link) from Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora recommends different serving sizes for each food group so you get all the nutrients you need. The recommended serving size for each food group varies for different age groups, genders and whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

The table below shows the current recommended serving size per day for each food group for most adults:

Food group	Number of servings per day
Vegetables	At least 5 servings for women and 6 for men. It is healthier to have more non-starchy vegetables than starchy vegetables on your plate.
Fruit	At least 2 servings.
Grain foods, mostly whole grains and those naturally high in fibre	At least 6 servings for most adults. For older women aged 51–70 years, 4 servings are recommended instead of 6 as they have reduced physical activity and energy expenditure.
Legumes, nuts, seeds, fish and other seafood, eggs, poultry and/or red meat with the fat removed	At least 2.5 servings.
Milk and milk products, mostly low and reduced fat	At least 2.5 servings. For older women aged 51–70 years, 4 servings are recommended instead of 2 to help maintain bone density and reduce the risk of osteoporosis after menopause.

While it’s good to choose a variety of foods, it’s also important to keep food serving sizes appropriate to your body size. Too large a serving of some foods can cause weight gain.

Use the guide below to help you work out a serving. This is a guide only. Taller and more active people may need more. Follow your body’s hunger and fullness queues as a guide for how much you need.

Image credit: Healthy eating, healthy living(external link) HealthEd, NZ, 2010

Fruit and vegetables
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Healthy eating basics
Food groups

The following links provide further information about food groups and serving size. Be aware that websites from other countries may have information that differs from New Zealand recommendations.

Healthy recipes(external link) Healthy Food Guide, NZ
Heart healthy recipes(external link) Heart Foundation, NZ