» » » Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide

Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide

Healthy Eating Goes Hand-in-Hand with Active Living

Healthy eating is one of the key components of living well, along with being physically active and avoiding tobacco products.

For Canadians at all stages of life, healthy eating habits and daily physical exercise are particularly vital to healthy growth and development.

Choose Great Foods

Canada’s Food Guide has long been the standard for healthy eating. The Food Guide describes the amount and type of food recommended for Canadians two years and older. Following the Food Guide will help meet your needs for vitamins, minerals andother nutrients, reduce your risk of obesity, types 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain types of cancer, and osteoporosis, as well as contribute to your overall vitality.

The Food Guide encourages you to:

emphasize vegetables, fruit and whole grains, and include milk and meat as well as their alternatives;
limit foods and beverages high in calories,fat, trans fat, sugar and salt;
compare the Nutrition Facts tableon labels to make wise choices; and
combine regular physical activity with healthy eating.

Healthy Eating Tips from Canada’s Food Guide:

Eat the recommended amount and type of food each day.
Eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day. Go for broccoli, romaine lettuce, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash.
Choose vegetables and fruit prepared with little or no added fat, sugar or salt.
Have vegetables and fruit more often than juice.
Make at least half of your grain products whole grain each day. Treat yourself to multi-grain breads, pumpernickel bagels, whole wheat pasta, brown rice, whole grain cereals or oatmeal.
Choose grain products that are lower in fat, sugar or salt.
Drink skim, 1% or 2% milk each day. If you don’t drink milk, you can have fortified soy beverage instead.
Select low fat milk alternatives. Compare the Nutrition Facts table on yogurts and cheeses to make wise choices.
Have meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu often.
Eat at least two Food Guide servings of fish* each week. Choose fish such aschar, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines and trout.
Select lean meat and alternatives prepared with little or no added fat andsalt. Use cooking methods such as roasting, baking or poaching that require little orno added fat.
Include a small amount of unsaturated fat each day. Canada’s Food Guide recommends 30 to 45 mL (2 to 3 Tbsp).
Satisfy your thirst with water.
Limit foods and beverages high in calories, fat, sugar or salt.

*Health Canada provides advice for limiting exposure to mercury from certain types of fish. Refer to www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/chem-chim/mercur/index_e.html
for the latest information.

Follow Canada’s Food Guide to help you make healthy food choices. Check out Canada’s Food Guide online featuring practical tips and tools at http://www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide. From this site you can find an interactive tool called My Food Guide which allows you to personalize the information found in the Food Guide by selecting foods from a range of ethnic cuisines and your preferred physical activity choices.

Use the Label

Nutrition labelling became mandatory for most prepackaged foods in 2005. Canadians can use nutrition information on food labels to make more informed food choices.

The Nutrition Facts table appears in a standard format so it has a consistent look from one product to another, making it easy to find and use. With this nutrition information on food labels you will be able to:

compare products more easily;
determine the nutritional value of foods;
better manage special diets; and
increase or decrease your intake of a particular nutrient.

In the Nutrition Facts, nutrients will be expressed in grams (g) or milligrams (mg) or as a % Daily Value. In general, you should look for a higher % Daily Value next to nutrients you are trying to increase in your diet, such as fibre, vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. Look for a lower % Daily Value for nutrients you are trying to decrease, such as saturated and trans fats, cholesterol and sodium.

Nutrition Facts Label