Healthy plate builder

Estimate how much of your plate is veg or salad, starchy food and protein to see how it compares with a balanced plate.

Your details

Veg, salad or fruit
Starchy food (rice, pasta, potatoes, bread)
Protein (beans, fish, eggs, meat, tofu)
Food in a typical day (optional)
Food on this plate, roughly (optional)
Meals a day that look like this (optional)

Your plate

30 / 40 / 30

% veg / starchy / protein

  • Veg and fruit30% (Eatwell: about 40%)
  • Starchy foods40% (about 40%)
  • Protein30% (about 12 to 20%)
  • Whole day in gramsadd roughly how much you eat in a day to see the Eatwell split in grams
  • This plate in gramsadd roughly what the food on it weighs to count your 5 A Day

More veg would bring it closer to the Eatwell Guide. Frozen veg counts and is cheap. The Eatwell Guide is about the whole day, so one plate does not need to be perfect.

In grams

The Eatwell split for a whole day

Add roughly how much food you eat in a day, in grams, and the result splits it the Eatwell way: about 39% fruit and veg, 37% starchy foods, 12% beans, pulses, fish, eggs and meat, 8% dairy and alternatives and 1% oils and spreads. Foods high in fat, salt and sugar sit outside the plate: fine, in smaller amounts and less often.

This plate

Grams and 5 A Day

Add what the food on the plate weighs and we turn the veg share into 80 g portions of 5 A Day. A 500 g plate that is 30% veg holds 150 g, or 1.9 portions. To bring veg up to the Eatwell 39% you would add about (0.39 × 500 − 150) ÷ 0.61 = 74 g of veg or salad. Two plates like this a day give 3.8 portions, so two pieces of fruit would cover the rest.

The working

Against a balanced plate

We scale your three shares to 100% and compare them with the Eatwell Guide, where fruit and veg and starchy foods each make up about 40% and protein foods about 12 to 20%. Then we suggest the one change that would help most: more veg if it is under a third of the plate, more starchy food if that is under a quarter, or less protein if it is over 35%.

The example of 30% veg, 40% starchy and 30% protein is just under a third veg, so the tip is to add a portion of veg or salad.

Why this shape

Plates and the Eatwell Guide

The Eatwell Guide shows a whole day's food, where fruit and veg are 39% and starchy foods 37%. Some dietitians use an even simpler picture for a main meal: half veg, a quarter carbs, a quarter protein. Either way, the message is the same: veg and starchy foods take up most of the room, and it works for most cuisines.

Easy wins

Adding veg without fuss

  • A bag of frozen peas or mixed veg into any pan
  • A side salad or sliced tomatoes
  • Grated carrot or courgette in sauces
  • A tin of chopped tomatoes in curries and stews

Read with care

What this cannot tell you

  • Portion sizeA balanced plate can still be big or small.
  • Fats and saucesThese are not counted.
  • Different needsAthletes, older adults and children may need more starch or protein.

Questions

Common questions

What does a healthy plate look like?

Mostly veg or salad and starchy food (ideally wholegrain), in roughly equal amounts, with a smaller share of protein and a little healthy fat.

Is the plate the same as the Eatwell Guide?

Similar. The Eatwell Guide covers a whole day, including snacks and drinks; the plate is a quick check for one meal.

Do I have to eat like this every meal?

No. Aim for it most of the time and enjoy the rest.

Sources

Last checked 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.

If food feels hard

If eating, weight or food is on your mind a lot, you are not alone. Your GP can help, and Beat has a free helpline on 0808 801 0677 (England, weekdays 3pm to 8pm).

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