What Canada's food guide says
Canada's food guide is like a map for eating well. It says: eat lots of vegetables and fruits, choose whole grains and protein foods, drink water, and enjoy your food with others.
- Canada's food guide is the Government of Canada's guidance on healthy eating for people in Canada aged 2 and older. (The old address, food-guide.canada.ca, now forwards to canada.ca.)
- Its healthy eating recommendations:
- Make it a habit to eat a variety of healthy foods each day.
- Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods.
- Choose protein foods that come from plants more often.
- Limit highly processed foods.
- Make water your drink of choice.
- Use food labels.
- Be aware that food marketing can influence your choices.
- Healthy eating is more than the foods you eat: be mindful of your eating habits, cook more often, enjoy your food, and eat meals with others.
- Search for Canada's food guide on the Government of Canada website (canada.ca).
- Read the healthy eating recommendations: variety each day, plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grains and protein foods, plant proteins more often, limit highly processed foods, water as your drink of choice, use food labels, be aware of food marketing.
- Read the habits: be mindful, cook more often, enjoy your food, eat meals with others.
- Write down three recommendations you already follow and one you want to start.
- Check: you can name the seven healthy eating recommendations in your own words.
Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.
Read the video script
[Host] "Canada's food guide fits on one page. Here's the whole thing in one minute."
[Text on screen: Vegetables & fruits, Whole grains, Protein foods] "Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods. Choose plant proteins more often."
[Text on screen: Water] "Make water your drink of choice. Limit highly processed foods."
[Host] "And it's not only what you eat, it's how: cook more often, enjoy your food, and eat with others."
Write down everything you ate and drank yesterday. Next to each item, mark: vegetable/fruit, whole grain, protein food, water, or highly processed. What did you notice?
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I'm learning "Nutrition Basics (Canada's Food Guide)" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "What Canada's food guide says". What the lesson teaches: - Canada's food guide is the Government of Canada's guidance on healthy eating for people in Canada aged 2 and older. (The old address, food-guide.canada.ca, now forwards to canada.ca.) - Its healthy eating recommendations: - Make it a habit to eat a variety of healthy foods each day. - Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods. - Choose protein foods that come from plants more often. - Limit highly processed foods. - Make water your drink of choice. The exercise I'm working on: Write down everything you ate and drank yesterday. Next to each item, mark: vegetable/fruit, whole grain, protein food, water, or highly processed. What did you notice? I'm stuck. Please: 1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example. 2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step. 3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it. 4. This is for learning only. Remind me to check with a licensed professional before I make a real decision about my own money, health or legal situation.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "What Canada's food guide says" from the course "Nutrition Basics (Canada's Food Guide)". Here's what the lesson says: Canada's food guide is like a map for eating well. It says: eat lots of vegetables and fruits, choose whole grains and protein foods, drink water, and enjoy your food with others. The activity: Write down everything you ate and drank yesterday. Next to each item, mark: vegetable/fruit, whole grain, protein food, water, or highly processed. What did you notice? Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words. Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time. Keep it general and educational. This is not advice for a real situation.
Sources
- Health Canada, Canada's food guide: www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-guide.html
- Health Canada, Healthy eating recommendations: www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-guide/explore/healthy-eat
- Health Canada, Food guide snapshot: www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-guide/explore/snapshot.ht
Build a balanced plate
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Whole grains and protein foods
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Water and drinks
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Read food labels
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Healthy habits that last
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Final project
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Quiz
Who is Canada's food guide for?
People in Canada aged 2 and older.
How much of your plate should be vegetables and fruits?
Half.
What is Canada's food guide's drink of choice?
Water.
Is a multi-grain food always whole grain?
No. Health Canada says whole wheat and multi-grain foods may not be whole grain.
On a food label, what does a low % Daily Value (such as 5% or less) mean?
The food has a little of that nutrient.
What does a high % Daily Value mean?
The food has a lot of that nutrient (Canada's guide treats 15% DV or more as a lot).
In what order are ingredients listed?
By weight, from most to least.
What is a commonly cited maximum daily caffeine for healthy adults?
400 mg (Health Canada uses this figure).
Name two healthy eating habits from the food guide.
Any two of: be mindful, cook more often, enjoy your food, eat meals with others, use food labels, limit highly processed foods, be aware of food marketing.
Final exam
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Certificate
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