Healthy Eating

Eating a healthy diet is an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. Eating healthy means choosing a variety of nutritious foods that will give your body the nutrients it needs to maintain and promote good health. Follow the recommendations in Canada’s Food Guide to help you make healthy food choices.

Canada's Food Guide

Healthy Food Choices

Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods. Choose protein foods that come from plants more often.
- Choose foods with healthy fats instead of saturated fat.
Limit highly processed foods. If you choose these foods, eat them less often and in small amounts.
- Prepare meals and snacks using ingredients that have little to no added sodium, sugars or saturated fat.
- Choose healthier menu options when eating out.
Make water your drink of choice.
- Replace sugary drinks with water.
Use food labels.
Be aware that food marketing can influence your choices.

(Health Canada, 2020)

Eat Well Plate

Use Canada’s Food Guide eat well plate to help plan healthy snacks and meals. You can use the plate as a guide for everything you eat, including: breakfast, snacks, family meals and mixed dishes.
Fill half your plate with vegetables and fruit, one quarter of your plate with whole grain foods, and the other quarter with protein foods.
Use Canada’s Food Guide plate as a tool to make meals that your whole family can enjoy together. Remember that:
- some people need more food than others,
- younger kids may require less food, so you may need to serve a mini version of the meal.

(Health Canada, 2025)

Healthy Eating Habits

Healthy eating is important throughout our life

As we get older, we experience changes such as decreasing muscle and bone loss. Also, our brain does not signal us to drink water when we are older like it did when we were younger.

A few healthy eating tips to consider that will help to keep you healthy, strong, and free from falls:

Eat foods with calcium and vitamin D to keep your bones strong.
Proteins, such as meat, beans and eggs are important to build and maintain muscles.
Drink lots of water to keep hydrated, even if you don’t always feel thirsty.

Canada’s Food Guide for Seniors

Are you an older adult? Get more information on healthy eating.

Healthy eating is more than the foods you eat. It is also about where, when, why and how you eat.

Be mindful of your eating habits