Canada's food guide

Introducing the food guide's "Eat Well Plate".

Follow the guide: This picture perfect 'snap shot' inspires us to Eat Well. 

Serve a variety of nourishing foods in these healthy proportions on the plate:

  • 1/2 veggies & fruit - the more colourful the better
  • 1/4 whole grains like oatmeal, whole grain pasta, brown rice
  • 1/4 protein like lean meat, fish, dairy, beans, nuts, poultry, tofu, eggs, seeds, lentils

Aim to:

  • Quench thirst with water.
  • Eat 3 meals a day plus healthy snacks.

Is the food guide vegetarian?

Nope – ‘plant-based’ may be the buzz, but the guide dedicates ¼ of the plate to a variety of powerful proteins like pork, fish, poultry, eggs, beef, dairy foods, along with nuts, seeds and pulses. It was not intended to promote ultra-processed simulated meat, dairy and egg products.

Are meat and dairy still part of the food guide?

You bet. With lean meats like pork and beef, champions of iron and vitamin B12, and dairy key for calcium and vitamin D, these nourishing foods are definitely still part of the food guide plate.

Do I need to cut back on meat to make room for more veggies?

Canadians get 5% of their calories from red meat while 50% come from calorie-rich, nutrient-poor ultra-processed foods. Make room for veggies by reducing discretionary foods – not nourishing ones.

Are plant foods healthy foods?

It depends how the food is prepared or processed. Be mindful of plant-based claims on foods like cookies or potato chips – calorie-rich, nutrient-poor, made from plants!

What's plant-based eating?

It's likely what you already do – eat a variety of foods, that includes plants. The new guide dedicates 3/4 of the plate to veggies/fruit & whole grains and recommends including eating plant-sources of protein often.

So what’s a healthy way to eat?

Eating a sit-down meal in the company of others helps you eat better! DYK that those that include meat in their meals also eat more veggies.

Cooking at home using nourishing foundational foods is a practical way to support healthy eating. It's 'getting-back-to-basics' advice that's worth repeating.

For more information and delicious recipes, please click on the resource below: