Enjoy a Healthy Diet

For a healthy diet, follow Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide. The guide stresses the importance of choosing a variety of foods from the following food groups:

• grain products, especially whole grains
• vegetables and fruit, including one dark green and one orange vegetable each day 
• low-fat milk products
• low-fat meat and meat alternatives: lean meats, fish and meat alternatives, such as tofu and legumes

In addition to selecting foods from these groups, you should:

• limit your sodium and caffeine intake
• watch your fat intake, unless you are already on a reduced-fat diet
• keep close to your ideal body weight. Ask your doctor or dietitian about the Body Mass Index (BMI), which accounts for both sex and height when determining safe weight ranges. The BMI applies to individuals 20 to 65 years old. Always consult a professional to help you determine your ideal weight.

Choose more foods with complex carbohydrates and fibre, such as whole grains and enriched grains. If the product doesn't contain whole grain ingredients (whole wheat, oats, etc.), check to see if it is enriched. Enriched products can contain nutrients, such as iron (ferrous sulfate), niacin, riboflavin and thiamin. In Canada, all flour must be enriched.

Choose lower fat dairy products, leaner meats and foods prepared with little or no fat. Fat is found in:

• butter, margarine and oils
• meat, poultry and fish
• baked goods
• snack foods and many convenience products
• milk products (many milk products are labeled with a percentage of butter fat (B.F.) or milk fat (M.F.)

Choose foods that contain little or no salt. Salt is the main source of sodium in our diet. Use less salt when preparing food.

Choosing Foods for Healthy Eating

When you are shopping for food, you can look for nutrition information in three places on the package:

• the ingredients list
• the nutrition claims
• the "Nutrition Facts” box

Ingredients List
All packaged foods in Canada must list the ingredients used in the product. The ingredients are listed in order of the amount used, from most to least. The amount of any ingredient is based on the weight of an ingredient, not the volume.

Nutrition Claims
A Nutrition Claim is used to highlight an important nutrition feature of the food, for example "good source of calcium" or "low in fat." The government sets rules for the use of Nutrition Claims. If a claim is made, the product must meet certain standards and give more information on the nutrient somewhere else on the package.

Nutrition Facts Box
The “Nutrition Facts” box on the package gives detailed information about the product. Nutrients are always listed in the same order. Key elements include:

• serving size
• calories per serving, shown in kilojoules (kj)
• the total amount of fat, shown in grams
• the total amount of saturated and trans fats, shown in grams
• carbohydrates, including sugars and fibre, shown in grams
• the total amount of protein, shown in grams
• sodium, expressed as a percentage
• vitamins and minerals, shown as a percentage of the recommended daily intake

Cholesterol
There are different forms of blood cholesterol. HDL cholesterol, which stands for high-density lipoprotein, is ‘good’ cholesterol. LDL cholesterol, which stands for low-density lipoprotein, is 'bad' cholesterol. Too much LDL in the blood can narrow or block the coronary arteries and contribute to the development of heart disease.

Many foods also contain dietary cholesterol, such as eggs, milk products and meat. Cholesterol is found only in foods that come from animals, not in plant products, such as vegetable oil or margarine.

The cholesterol you eat (dietary cholesterol) can raise your blood cholesterol. Fat, especially saturated and trans fats, are mainly to blame for raising blood cholesterol. Egg yolks and organ meats are especially high in cholesterol. The other causes of high blood cholesterol are:

• a poor diet that is high in fat and low in fibre
• being overweight
• smoking
• not getting enough exercise
• a family history of high blood cholesterol
• aging

Healthy people can eat eggs in moderation without any harmful effects on their blood cholesterol. If your blood cholesterol is too high, limit the number of egg yolks you eat to two a week. You can eat as many egg whites as you like.

Cutting Back on Fat

Here are a few ideas for how you can trim the fat from your diet:

• Use very little butter, margarine or vegetable oil.
• Avoid using mayonnaise or meat/fish salads with mayonnaise as a base (e.g. ham salad, tuna salad).
• Use skim or 1 percent milk only.
• Choose cottage cheese and yogurt with a fat content of 2 percent or less.
• Choose lower-fat cheeses, such as ricotta (5 percent milk fat) more often.
• Choose sherbet or frozen yogurt instead of ice cream.
• Eat small servings of meat, fish and poultry. A small serving is three ounces or 90 grams (about the size of a deck of cards).
• Cut away extra fat from meat and remove the skin from poultry before cooking.
• Use low-fat cooking methods, such as baking, broiling or braising, as opposed to frying and deep-frying.
• Ease up on high-fat fast foods, processed foods and salty foods.
• Avoid high-fat baked goods, such as cookies, cakes, croissants and pastries. Instead, choose lower-fat products, such as social teas, arrowroots, raisin or fig bar cookies and angel food cake more often.

Six Ways to Get More Complex Carbohydrates and Fibre:

1. Make breakfast with whole grain cereals and toast, low-fat muffins and fresh fruit.
2. Add more fresh vegetables, fruit and whole grains to your meals.
3. Add legumes, such as black beans, kidney beans or lentils to pasta and rice dishes.
4. Use whole wheat bread, bagels and crackers for sandwiches and snacks.
5. Eat meatless meals more often (e.g. baked beans, lentil casserole, bean salad, split pea or minestrone soup, or hummus on a whole wheat bagel).
6. Eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruit every day.