What is the Wheel of Five?
The Wheel of Five is a tool from the Netherlands Nutrition Centre to help you enjoy food and drink in a way that suits you. Using the Wheel of Five to decide what you eat is good for you, your friends and family, and the planet.
If you want to eat using the Wheel of Five, this mainly involves:
- animal and plant-based products in balance;
- mostly products that fit in the Wheel of Five;
- wasting as little food as possible.
With the Wheel of Five, we look at the whole picture: what is healthy,
sustainable and safe to eat? We base our recommendations on
the latest state of scientific knowledge and do not bother with
fads. This is how we offer down-to-earth guidance.
The Wheel of Five consists of five food groups full of delicious
products. Eat from each food group every day, while alternating
between products. We provide frameworks for different eating
preferences, such as with or without meat. Discover your
recommended amounts in the My Wheel of Five tool (in Dutch).
The groups are:
- vegetables and fruit
- breads, grain/cereal products and potatoes
- water, tea and coffee
- legumes, nuts, fish, eggs, meat and dairy (alternatives)
- oils and fats
The Wheel of Five also provides a good foundation for healthy eating if you suffer from a disease or condition. If you have an intolerance to certain types of products, such as dairy or gluten, a dietician can help you make different choices.
Food group: Fruit and vegetables
This food group has lots of options! Not only are fruit and
vegetables healthy, they are also delicious – plain and simple.
Make climate-friendly choices by, for example, paying attention to
the season.
Choose vegetables
The Wheel of Five includes fresh and precut vegetables, frozen vegetables and vegetables in tins and jars (without added sugar and salt). We recommend consuming at least 250 grams of vegetables daily. These 250 grams only include the vegetables as you eat them, so raw or cooked, for example.
Do you find it hard to eat enough vegetables? These tips can help you:
- If you have prepared vegetables separately for dinner, serve
them first and make sure they fill half of your plate. If a dish
includes or incorporates vegetables, make sure to add more
veg than you normally would. That way, the veg will automatically take centre stage!
- Vegetables can be prepared in a lot of different ways. They can
be used in pasta sauces, tagine or rice dishes. They can also
be eaten raw in a salad, boiled or stir-fried. Why not try out
something new?
- Vegetables can be enjoyed throughout the day and with every
meal – not just dinner. It can be as simple as including slices
of cucumber or tomato on your sandwich or snacking on some
carrots or slices of bell pepper. This is an easy way of including
50 grams of veg into your diet.
Fruit is always easy to eat
The Wheel of Five includes fresh and precut fruit alongside frozen fruit. You can also opt for dried fruit (with no added sugar), but no more than a handful per day.
We recommend eating 200 grams of fruit every day. Choosing different types of fruit means you get all the nutrients you need from fruit.
Eating fruit whole is better than drinking fruit in liquid form.
Fruit juices and smoothies often contain less fibre and nutrients,
but a lot of sugar (and therefore calories). On top of that, they
are also less filling, because juices and smoothies go down far
quicker than if you were to eat the same amount of fruit.
Want to include more fruit in your diet? Here are some useful tips:
- Fruit is easy to eat, no matter the time and place. Slices of
apple or banana are great on a slice of bread, mixed into some
yoghurt or even just as a snack. Fruit is equally delicious in
certain cooked dishes. Adding an apple to Brussels sprouts or
an orange into your rice tastes great.
- You will automatically eat more fruit if it is somewhere within
easy reach and sight, such as a full bowl of fruit on the dining
table at home or a piece of fruit placed on your desk at work.
- There are so many kinds of fruit to choose from. If you are
unsure what to choose, why not just buy whatever fruit is on
discount or choose a type of fruit you are not yet familiar with.
This is a great way to discover new flavours.
Food group: Breads, grain/cereal products and potatoes
This food group is all about wholegrain products, such as wholegrain bread, porridge, oatmeal, wholegrain pasta, wholegrain couscous and brown rice. Wholegrain products are packed with fibre and nutrients, such as iron and B vitamins. In other words, these products are good for your body. On top of
that, wholegrain products use the entire grain, which means that
there is less waste compared to refined (white) varieties. Healthy
and sustainable!
Alternate wholegrain products with potatoes. These also play
an important role in this food group. Potatoes contain fibre,
vitamins and minerals.
Go wholegrain
If you are used to eating a lot of refined (white) grain products, such
as white bread or white rice, replacing them with wholegrain varie
ties is better for your health. Fancy giving it a try? Here are 3 tips:
- You do not need to replace all your refined grain products at
once. Instead, take a step-by-step approach. Start by having
whole grain oats for breakfast, a whole wheat sandwich for
lunch or a whole wheat wrap for dinner.
- We realise that wholegrain tastes different to refined (white)
products, and that can take some getting used to. Just give it
some time – and keep trying even if you do not like it right away.
- There is so much to choose from in this food group, ranging
from whole wheat lasagne sheets to whole wheat noodles.
You will quickly discover how versatile wholegrain can be, for
example, by serving a different product at dinner every day.
Food group: Water, tea and coffee
Drinking enough is crucial to stay sufficiently hydrated. You should drink 1.4 to 1.8 litres per day. This food group includes healthy
thirst quenchers such as water, tea and coffee (without sugar).
Tap water is the most sustainable way to quench your thirst.
Choose sugar-free beverages
Tap water is always a good choice. It is cheap, does not erode
your teeth and does not contain any calories. On top of that,
drinking 3 cups of black or green tea a day is good for your
blood pressure. You can alternate this with herbal tea and
coffee if you want.
If you want to switch to healthier drinks or if you should drink more, here are 3 tips that can help:
-
If you are not used to drinking water, tea or coffee, try making
the transition easier on yourself. Start by swapping out your
favourite drink once. For example, you could have a glass of
water with a slice of orange instead of orange juice.
- You might find it useful to pair drinks with certain fixed times in
the day. For example, having a cup of tea at breakfast, a glass
of water with dinner or a cup of coffee after shopping for
groceries will quickly establish a new routine. Having a jug of
water within easy reach and sight can be useful as well.
- There is no shortage of variety where water, coffee and tea are
concerned. Water can be jazzed up with herbs, spices,
vegetables or fruit, such as ginger and lemon or cucumber and
mint. Or why not try sugar-free iced tea or spiced coffee with
cardamom?
Food group: Legumes, nuts, fish, egg, meat and dairy (alternatives)
This food group is jam-packed with both animal and plant-based protein sources. Below, we will walk you through the different products in a few steps. We will explain how they affect your healthand how you can make choices that are better for the planet.
Go plant-based where possible
For your own health and that of the planet, it is important to ensure a balance between animal and plant-based foods. Meat has a big impact on the environment. That’s why our advice is: go plant-based where possible. Introduce variety with different types of legumes, tofu and tempeh. You can alternate this with eggs, meat or ready-to-eat vegetarian products.
Legumes
We recommend eating at least 250 grams of legumes every week. If you do not eat meat, this becomes 430 grams per week. Also known as pulses, these include brown, white and black beans, chickpeas and lentils. Tofu and tempeh, which are made from soybeans, also count. Other options include hummus and falafel, which are made from chickpeas. Legumes lower the risk of certain heart diseases.
Nuts
Have a handful of unsalted nuts (30 grams) every day. This gives you a good amount of unsaturated fats, which help keep your blood vessels healthy. These should preferably be unroasted or lightly roasted nuts. Eat different varieties such as peanuts, walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds. Nut spreads made from 100% nuts (such as 100% peanut butter) also count.
Fish
Eat 100 grams of sustainable seafood every week. This should preferably be oily fish, such as salmon, herring or rainbow trout. This does not exclusively need to be fresh fish; tinned or frozen fish would also be fine. Eating fish lowers the risk of certain heart diseases. Keep an eye out for the MSC and ASC labels.
Meat
Do not consume more than 300 grams of meat per week, of which no more than 100 grams should be red meat (beef, pork, mutton, goat meat or horse meat). Lean unprocessed meat, such as fillet of chicken or turkey (white meat), steak tartare and pork chops (red meat), has its place in the Wheel of Five. Avoid processed meat as much as possible, such as hamburgers or sausages, marinated meat and cold cuts like salami, ham or pâté. For meat, you can look for top labels such as Organic and 3 stars from the Beter Leven label.
Alternate between dairy and fortified dairy alternatives
This food group also includes semi-skimmed and low-fat dairy products, such as milk, yoghurt, quark and cheese. Certainplant-based dairy alternatives are also included in the Wheel of Five, such as fortified soy drink and soy yogurt. Fortified means vitamin B2, vitamin B12 and calcium have been added.
Dairy has positive effects on health, but also a major impact on the environment. That is why we recommend alternating between dairy and dairy alternatives, to put less strain on the environment. When buying dairy, you can also keep an eye out for top labels such as Organic or 3 stars from the Beter Leven label.
You should also alternate between hard and soft cheese. Soft cheeses require less milk to make, making them more environmentally friendly.
Food group: Oils and fats
Fats are a key nutrient and fuel source for the body. This food group features low-fat margarine, soft and liquid margarine, oil – such as olive oil and sunflower oil – and fats used for baking and frying. These products contain a lot of unsaturated fats and are a good source of vitamins A, D and E. Oil only contains vitamin E.
Use spreadable or liquid fats and oils
Saturated fats are harmful to your cardiovascular system. Butter and coconut oil are examples of products that contain a lot of saturated fat. Coconut oil is actually coconut fat and contains the most saturated fat of all fats and oils.Therefore, you are better off spreading margarine or low-fat margarine on your sandwich – both of which also have a lower climate impact than butter
Alongside the Wheel of Five
It will come as no surprise that there are no sweets, snacks, soft drinks and juice in the Wheel of Five. Nor any white flour pasta, sweet spreads or processed meat such as cold meats, for example. These are products with too much salt, sugar or saturated fat, or very little fibre.
You can still eat these products from time to time, of course. A good rule of thumb: you can have a small snack 3 to 5 times a day in addition to the Wheel of Five, and a larger snack 3 times a week. Something small could be anything from: a biscuit, some salty olives, an ice lolly, chocolate sprinkles on bread or ketchup with dinner. Something big, for example, would be: a croissant, a piece of cake, a bag of crisps, a glass of fizzy drink or pizza.
For your health, it is better not to eat foods that are not in the Wheel of Five too often or in large amounts. This is also better for the planet, because these products have a harmful impact on the environment due to the fact that they have to be manufactured, processed, packaged and transported
Make it easy for yourself
There is no need to suddenly completely change the way you eat and drink. It actually works better to tackle it one step at a time. Our tips and tools can help you with that. Find out which one works for you: