Choosing Healthy Foods

Canada’s Food Guide helps you make choices that can improve your overall health while reducing your risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, osteoporosis, and certain types of cancer.

Healthy Eating Tips

Use these tips as a checklist to plan and choose meals and snacks at home or when you're on the go!

• Eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day.
  Go for dark green vegetables such as broccoli, romaine lettuce and spinach. Go for orange vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash.
  
  
• Have vegetables and fruit more often than juice.



• Make at least half of your grain products whole grain each day.
  Eat a variety of grains such as barley, brown rice, oats, quinoa and wild rice. Enjoy whole grain breads, oatmeal or whole wheat pasta.



• Drink skim, 1% or 2% milk each day.
  Have 500 mL (2 cups) of milk every day.



• Have meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu often.
  Choose fish such as char, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines and trout.



• Eat at least two Food Guide Servings of fish each week.



• Include a small amount of unsaturated fat each day.
Use vegetable oils such as canola, olive and soybean. Choose soft margarines that are low in saturated and trans fats. Limit butter, hard margarine, lard and shortening.


• Satisfy your thirst with water. Drink more water in hot weather or when you are very active.



• Limit foods and beverages that are high in calories, fat, sugar, or salt (sodium).

Choosing Healthy Food