Build your plate, then check the balance.
Tap portions of six food groups onto a plate and watch it redraw next to the reference plate: half vegetables and fruit, a quarter whole grains, a quarter protein. You get a balance score out of 100, a rough fibre estimate against the 30 g day target, a count of plant groups and two tips for what is missing.
Build today's plate.
Tap plus and minus on the six food groups. Your plate redraws with every tap, the reference plate stays put, and the panel below tells you how close the two are.
Your portions
About 80 g, a handful
About 80 g, an apple
A fist of cooked grain
A palm-sized piece
A thumb of oil, nuts or seeds
A glass of milk or a pot of yoghurt
One portion: about 80 g of vegetables or fruit, a fist of grains, a palm of protein, a thumb of fats, a glass of milk or a pot of yoghurt. Your plate is kept in this browser only.
Your plate
0 portionsA typical starting plate. Make it yours with plus and minus.
Reference plate
- Vegetables30 %
- Fruit20 %
- Whole grains25 %
- Protein25 %
- Fats, dairyon the side
Two things to try
How it works.
- Tap plus and minus on the six food groups; for protein, pick mostly plant, mixed or mostly animal.
- Watch your plate redraw next to the reference plate: half vegetables and fruit, a quarter whole grains, a quarter protein.
- Read the balance score, the fibre estimate and the plant groups, follow the two tips, then save or share the card.
Where the reference plate comes from
The reference plate follows the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate and the UK Eatwell Guide. Half of the plate is vegetables and fruit, with vegetables taking the larger share, a quarter is whole grains and a quarter is protein; oils and dairy sit beside the plate, and water is the drink. The tool turns that picture into four shares, 30 %, 20 %, 25 % and 25 %: up to 5 points of deviation in each group still scores 100, beyond that the score falls by 1 point for every point. The WHO advises at least 400 g of vegetables and fruit a day, five portions of 80 g, and half a plate at each of three meals reaches that figure. The Mediterranean diet and its evidence shows why the pattern of a plate predicts more than any single food.
Fibre, protein and plant groups
The fibre figure is a rough estimate from typical values: about 3 g for a portion of vegetables, 2.5 g for fruit, 3 g for a fist of whole grains, 4 g for a palm of plant protein, 0 g for animal protein and 2 g for a thumb of nuts or seeds. It is set against 30 g a day, the target the UK Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition set in 2015; the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) puts adequate intake at 25 g, and most adults in Europe reach 18 to 20 g. The guide on 30 grams of fibre a day lists the foods that get you there. Adults need about 0.8 g of protein per kilogram of body weight a day (EFSA), roughly 56 g for a 70 kg person; protein by age explains why the figure rises later in life. The plant group count comes from the American Gut Project: people eating 30 or more different plants a week had a more diverse gut microbiome than those eating 10 or fewer, see 30 plants a week for the gut.
What this tool is not
The Plate Builder is a picture of proportions, not a nutrition analysis. It does not weigh your food, does not know the recipe and cannot tell wholemeal from white unless you count it as whole grains. The fibre estimate uses average values, so a bowl of lentils and a slice of ham are both one protein portion. The score compares shares, not amounts: 1 portion in each group and 6 in each group score the same. It does not calculate energy, does not know your weight, age or health, and does not replace a dietitian, a doctor or an eating plan for a medical condition.
Frequently asked.
What counts as one portion?
About 80 g of vegetables or fruit, which is a handful, an apple or three heaped tablespoons of peas. For whole grains use a clenched fist of cooked grain, for protein the size of your palm, for fats a thumb of oil, nuts or seeds, and for dairy a 200 ml glass of milk or a pot of yoghurt.
Why does the score not change when I double every portion?
The score compares shares, not amounts. Two portions of each plate group and four of each give the same picture, half vegetables and fruit, a quarter whole grains, a quarter protein, so both score the same.
Do fats and dairy affect the balance score?
No. They sit beside the plate as side dishes, as in the Harvard and Eatwell models. Fats count towards the fibre estimate as nuts or seeds, about 2 g a thumb, and towards the plant groups; dairy adds nothing to either.
How accurate is the fibre estimate?
It is a rough estimate from typical values, not a measurement. A portion of raspberries holds about 5 g of fibre, a portion of melon under 1 g, and both count as 2.5 g here. Treat the figure as a direction, not a result.
How many plant groups should I aim for?
The tool counts up to 5 on one plate: vegetables, fruit, whole grains, plant protein, and nuts or seeds. The larger goal is variety across a week, about 30 different plants, so a plate with 3 or 4 groups that changes from day to day does more than the same 5 every day.
Does the tool store what I enter?
Only in your browser, so the plate is there when you come back. Nothing is sent anywhere. Clear the plate to remove it.
Guides behind this tool
Food
30 grams of fibre a day: where the number comes from
Food
The Mediterranean diet: what the evidence saysMore tools
The Plate Builder shows proportions and estimates fibre from typical values. It is not a nutrition analysis, does not diagnose or treat any condition and does not replace advice from a dietitian or doctor. This page is for general information and does not replace medical advice.