Canada’s New Food Guide to Healthy Eating

Canada’s New Food Guide to Healthy Eating was finally released at the beginning of the month.  I love the simplicity of this new guide.

Food guidehttps://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

 

 

Make it a habit to eat a variety of healthy foods each day

Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits (half of your plate), whole grain food (¼ of your plate) and protein foods (¼ of your plate).  Choose protein foods that come from plants more often.

Make water your drink of choice.

 

Healthy Eating is More than the Foods You Eat

Be mindful of your eating habits

Being mindful of your eating habits means being aware of:

• how you eat
• why you eat
• what you eat
• when you eat
• where you eat
• how much you eat

Being mindful can help you:

• make healthier choices more often
• make positive changes to routine eating behaviours
• be more conscious of the food you eat and your eating habits
• create a sense of awareness around your every day eating decisions
• reconnect to the eating experience by creating an awareness of your:
  • feelings
  • thoughts
  • emotions
  • behaviours

 

Cook more often

Cooking and preparing food can support healthy eating habits. Cooking allows you to:

• learn new skills
• rely less on highly processed foods
• control the amount of sauces and seasonings
• make foods that you and your family like and will eat
• save money by avoiding extra money spent on meals eaten out
• choose healthy ingredients like:
  • fruits
  • vegetables
  • whole grain foods
  • protein foods
    • choose protein foods that come from plants more often

 

Enjoy your food

The benefits of enjoying your food include:

• tasting the flavours
• being open to trying new foods
• developing a healthy attitude about food

Knowing that you are making healthy food choices can increase your enjoyment of food.

Enjoying your food includes:

• socializing at mealtime
• enjoying shopping for food
• preparing and cooking food
• growing or harvesting your own food
• getting to know the people that grow or produce your food
• involving others in meal planning, preparation and clean up

 

Eat with others

Enjoying healthy foods with family, friends, neighbours or co-workers is a great way to connect and add enjoyment to your life. It can provide many benefits and contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

By eating with others you can:

• enjoy quality time together
• share food traditions, across generations and cultures
• explore new healthy foods that you might not normally try

Food is often a main part of celebrations and special events. However, eating with others doesn’t have to be saved for special events.