Support for NEA2 2025/2026
Are you currently planning support for your pupils around the NEA2 tasks for 2025/26? If so, don’t forget that we have plenty of resources on Food – a fact of life to help!
Healthy eating guidelines
Understanding and using the Eatwell Guide, along with the 8 tips for healthy eating, helps ensure meals are balanced, nutritious, and supports long-term health and wellbeing.
Teachers can use the Food – a fact of life Eat Well resources to help pupils apply the Eatwell Guide and the 8 tips for healthy eating when planning and creating meals for children, young people and adults. By using the presentations, worksheets, and practical activities in the Eat well area, pupils can explore food groups, understand portion sizes, and learn how to adapt dishes to suit different nutritional needs. For example, pupils could investigate the key messages and the foods which are included in each group of the Eatwell Guide in more detail, by watching the Eatwell Guide presentation and then completing the Eatwell Guide worksheet. To consolidate learning, pupils could work in pairs to sort Eatwell Guide food cards and place them in the correct food group on the blank Eatwell Guide.
Pupils could use the Eatwell Guide circle map as a revision tool, alongside the Eatwell Guide Knowledge organiser. There are also Knowledge organisers covering:
For top tips around using the Knowledge organisers, why not read our blog?
To test pupil’s knowledge, use the Eatwell Guide quiz, and the 8 tips for healthy eating quiz. There are lots of other self-marking multiple choice quizzes which can be found in the 11-14 and 14-16 quizzes areas.
Further support around teaching and learning about the Eatwell Guide and government healthy eating guidelines can be found in a recording of a webinar with the British Nutrition Foundations’ Bridget Benelam. There are also a number of short videos that pupils could watch as a refresher or to reinforce knowledge.
Fruit and vegetables
Did you know that only 9% of 11- 18 year olds and 17% of adults are eating at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables a day? (NDNS Survey).
The fruit and vegetables group is the biggest in the Eatwell Guide and we are recommended to eat at least 5 A DAY. Diets high in fruit and vegetables are linked to a lower risk of diseases like heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer.
Fruit and vegetables provide a range of essential nutrients and fibre, as well as chemical compounds that occur naturally in plants that may have health benefits. Fruit and vegetables can also help maintain a healthy weight as they are generally low in calories, so plenty can be eaten for relatively few calories.
There are plenty of resources on Food – a fact of life to support teaching and learning around fruit and vegetables, including a 5 A DAY presentation, worksheet and quiz.
When planning dishes to encourage people to eat more fruit and vegetables, it is important that pupils are aware of what a portion size is. Information about portion sizes can be found on the British Nutrition Foundation website, including portions for adults and children. There is also a 5-5-3-2 for toddlers and pre-schoolers.
Remind pupils that canned, fresh, frozen and dried fruit and vegetables all count!
A fun, creative activity that get pupils thinking about increasing fruit and vegetables in the diet along with reducing food waste and ingredient costs is the Super soup activity, which comes with teacher instructions and also pupil version. There is also a recipe to make speedy flatbreads to accompany the soup.
There are also lots of tried and tested recipes suitable for children, young people and adults in the recipe area. Including new recipes to encourage diversity and inclusion that include plenty of fruit and veg.
Starchy carbohydrates
Did you know that cereal and cereal products are the main source of carbohydrate for adults in Britain (including 18% of carbohydrate coming from bread)?
Starchy foods is the second biggest food group in the Eatwell Guide. In the UK, it’s recommended that starchy foods should make up about a third of the foods we eat.
Starchy foods are an important source of fibre as well as vitamins and minerals, including:• B vitamins – for example vitamin B1, which helps the body use the energy from the carbohydrates we eat and well as supporting the heart and nervous system
• Iron – important for normal brain function, the immune system and for the red blood cells that transport oxygen around the body
• Calcium – to help keep bones and teeth healthy
• Folate – needed to make healthy red blood cells and for the nervous system
In the starchy foods group, wholegrains are a key source of fibre. Only 4% of 11 -18 year olds and adults have met their fibre recommendation (NDNS Survey).
Studies have found that fibre from wholegrains seems to be important for health, linked with reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, bowel cancer and inflammation. For more information about starchy carbohydrates in our diets, go to the British Nutrition Foundation website.
There are also resources on Food – a fact of life to support teaching about macronutrients, including starchy carbohydrates and fibre. Examples include, a macronutrients presentation, worksheet and quiz (with answers).
How about doing a Fibre line up with pupils (with answers), or a ‘make it with mince’ challenge based on starchy carbohydrates?
Looking for recipe inspiration?
There are over 400 tried and tested recipes, including great ideas for all meal occasions, including celebrations and everyday popular dishes, such as ‘fakeaways’. Why not try one of the fish recipes developed with the Fish Heroes programme as a celebratory dish? Recipes include Megrim with a creamy mushroom sauce and Thai style mussels.
Ideas for fakeaways include:
There are also 50 new recipes covering six global cuisines along with supporting resources, e.g. a brief overview of the history, traditions and ingredients for each cuisine.
There are also Recipes to demonstrate the application of nutrition knowledge, e.g. macro and micro nutrients.
Nutritional analysis
It is important that pupils have a good understanding of the current healthy eating messages and that they can then apply these when planning recipes and meals. Nutritional analysis of recipes enables pupils to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and application of these messages. Explore food can be used to conduct nutritional analysis and its free to use!
Applying knowledge and skills
An understanding and application of nutritional knowledge is essential when planning what to cook- whether for ourselves or for someone else.
Nutrition needs change through life and in the 14-16 years area you will find resources to support teaching and learning about life stages and nutrition needs, e.g. the different needs for children, young people and adults. There are new ‘Doodly’ videos aimed at secondary aged pupils that highlight nutrition for teenagers. Why not show these to your pupils and task them to create a dish that meets one of the nutrition guidelines for teenagers?
A thorough knowledge of healthy eating guidelines, energy and nutrients will help pupils plan and create dishes to meet particular needs, including those that are physically very active.
Pupils might find it useful to work through the case studies based around the Explore food nutritional analysis tool, which allow pupils to create, modify and analyse the diet plans of different groups of people. This will allow pupils to apply their knowledge of how nutritional requirements differ for different groups of people and will allow them to practically analyse diet plans.
There are two types of case studies for pupils:
- Case study 1 to 4: these provide the food and drinks consumed, with pupils being challenge to calculate suitable portion sizes;
- Case study 5 to 10: pupils need to determine the menu (and portion sizes) for the day.
When investigating recipes to make and trial, teachers and pupils might find this guide to recipes to demonstrate the application of nutrition knowledge useful to refer to.
Modifying recipes is one strategy to improving health. Recipes can be modified to include more fruit and vegetables, contain more fibre, and /or contain less fat, free sugars or salt. Task your pupils to complete one of the recipe modification worksheets to demonstrate their understanding and application of healthier eating. There is a choice of five worksheets: Modifying recipes – bolognaise, Modifying recipes – cauliflower cheese, Modifying recipes – pasta and tomato sauce, Modifying recipes – sausage and mash, Modifying recipes – apple crumble. The Small change Big difference worksheets could also be used as an alternative activity.
Further information about nutritional needs through life can be found on the British Nutrition Foundation website.
Sensory evaluation
Sensory evaluation tests can be used to determine whether someone likes or dislikes a food (preference tests) or identify particular sensory characteristics of a food (discrimination tests). Use the Guide to sensory evaluation testing to support understanding and practical application in the classroom. There are also a variety of Excel spreadsheets to enable the pupils to produce the results of their sensory testing easily and attractively.
We also have a resource to support pupils developing and using appropriate technical language. The Key terms and definitions document is a comprehensive and interactive glossary, which is ideal for pupils when learning and practising vocabulary around food and nutrition and also for checking retrieval during revision activities.
There are also a couple of posters to encourage pupils to use good sensory vocabulary:
How about building up to NEA2 through a challenge-based activity?
The Challenges cover healthy eating, cooking and where food comes from and provide a wide range of activities that teachers can select depending on their pupils’ needs, age and abilities, and the time available. Each Challenge presentation comprises:
slides to present the Challenge to the class, including images, information and questions/tasks to stimulate pupil discussion and planning;
a teachers' guide with opportunities for learning and a variety of pupil activities that can be completed individually or in groups.
The Challenges culminate in a final outcome, which could be paper based, such as a poster or display, a video or interactive activity, a recipe, menu or dish/range of dishes, depending on the theme of the Challenge.
Optional pupil certificates are available to download and personalise once the Challenge has been achieved.
- Variety is the spice of life – create a three-day menu for someone with a specific dietary need.
- New cuisines, new tastes - prepare and cook a dish, or range of dishes, which showcases our modern, diverse food culture.
- Food fiesta – plan a menu for a summer fiesta, or celebration, and then prepare and cook a dish, or range of dishes, to serve.
For further support around planning, preparing for and marking Non-Examined Assessments in your school, why not join us for a Q&A with experienced food and nutrition teachers on Wednesday 19th November? The Q&A is part of the Food – a fact of life free online Essentials course designed to support trainee, early career and non-subject specialist teachers around the UK. More information about the Essentials course and how to register and join the live events, can be found in the Professional development area.
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