Food Triangle

The Food Triangle - developed by the Belgian agency Gezond Leven (www.gezondleven.be) – offers guidelines on which foods are preferable and what’s

best being limited. The reversed pyramid is drawn in five different colors:

• Blue: at the top of the pyramid is the category of water, since it is especially important to consume lots of water to keep your fluid levels in balance.
• Dark green: these are the foods that originate from plants and that have a favorable effect on your health: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, potatoes, legumes, nuts, seeds and plant oils.
• Light green: these are the products derived from animals that have a favorable or neutral effect on your health such as fish, yoghurt, milk, cheese, poultry and eggs.
• Orange: these are the foods originating from plants and animals that can have an unfavorable effect on your health when consumed in large amounts: red meat, butter, coconut- and palm oil.
• Red: apart from the triangle is the ‘others’ category. These are highly processed products which contain a lot of salt, sugar and/or fat. It’s better to avoid these products or to consume them in small amounts.

• Include some creative role-play to the discussions. For example: ask the children to act out a specific food or beverage and link it to the Food Triangle.
• Ask the children to step away from the panel and pick a specific ingredient. The children now need to throw a little ball to towards the right food group.