Nutrition

Nutrition made simple and practical

Clear explanations and everyday examples to help you eat well — without strict rules or individual diet plans.

Illustration of a balanced plate of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and protein foods

Special dietary needs? This page offers general information for healthy adults. If you have a medical condition, food allergies or intolerances, pregnancy-related needs, an eating disorder or other specialised dietary requirements, please get personalised guidance from your doctor, nurse practitioner or a registered dietitian.

Balanced eating concepts

Balanced eating means regularly eating a variety of healthy foods, rather than following strict rules. Canada’s food guide uses a simple plate to show the proportions:

Half: vegetables and fruits
A quarter: whole grain foods
A quarter: protein foods

Choose plant-based protein foods more often, make water your drink of choice, and limit highly processed foods. The plate is a guide for most meals, not a rule you must follow every time.

A beginner’s guide to balanced eating

Source: Health Canada. Use Canada’s food guide plate to make any meal (video).; Health Canada. Food guide snapshot. Canada’s food guide.

Example plates

Breakfast: oatmeal topped with berries, with plain yogurt or a handful of nuts.
Lunch: a whole grain wrap with beans and salad vegetables, plus a piece of fruit.
Dinner: brown rice, a big serving of stir-fried vegetables, and tofu, fish or chicken.

Ideas only — adapt them to your tastes, culture, budget and any dietary needs.

Food variety

No single food provides everything you need. Eating a range of different vegetables, fruits, whole grains and protein foods across the week helps you get a broad mix of nutrients — and keeps meals interesting.

Aim for different colours of vegetables and fruits.
Rotate grains: oats, brown rice, barley, whole grain pasta, quinoa.
Mix protein foods: beans, lentils, tofu, nuts, eggs, fish, poultry, lean meats, lower-fat dairy.
Fresh, frozen and canned options all count — check labels on canned foods for added sodium or sugars.

Source: Health Canada. Healthy eating recommendations. Canada’s food guide.

Culture and food traditions

Healthy eating can include the foods you grew up with. Canada’s food guide encourages enjoying your food and considering how culture and traditions fit into healthy eating.

Meal-planning strategies

Planning ahead can help you make healthier choices, save time and money, reduce food waste and cook more often. Health Canada breaks it into four steps:

Decide what to eat — start with what you already have.
Make a grocery list — check flyers for sales.
Go shopping — stick to your list.
Start cooking — share the plan and the tasks.

Simple meal planning for busy people

Source: Health Canada. Meal planning from start to finish in 4 steps. Canada’s food guide.; Health Canada. Plan what you eat. Canada’s food guide.

Time-savers

Cook once, eat twice: plan leftovers.
Prep basics ahead, like washed and chopped vegetables.
Choose recipes with overlapping ingredients.
Keep a list of family favourites to reuse.

Hydration basics

Canada’s food guide recommends making water your drink of choice. Water hydrates without adding calories, sodium, sugars or saturated fat. Your body loses water through sweating, breathing and waste, so it needs to be replaced.

There’s no single amount that suits everyone — needs depend on things like activity, climate and health. If you’ve been told to limit fluids for a medical reason, follow your provider’s advice.

The importance of staying hydrated

Source: Health Canada. Make water your drink of choice. Canada’s food guide.

Easy ways to drink more water

Carry a reusable bottle.
Keep a jug of water on the table at meals.
Add fruit slices or herbs for flavour.
Choose water instead of sugary drinks.

Understanding nutrition labels

The Nutrition Facts table helps you compare foods. Start with the serving size, then use the % Daily Value:

5% DV or lessis a little

15% DV or moreis a lot

Ingredientsare listed from most to least by weight

Choose less sodium, sugars and saturated fat, and more fibre, calcium, iron and potassium. Many packaged foods high in saturated fat, sugars or sodium now display Health Canada’s front-of-package magnifying-glass symbol.

Understanding nutrition labels

Source: Health Canada. How to use food labels to make healthier choices. Canada’s food guide.; Health Canada. Nutrition labelling: Front-of-package nutrition symbol.

Illustration of a nutrition facts label under a magnifying glass

Practical grocery shopping

Eating well doesn’t have to be expensive. Health Canada’s tips for healthy eating on a budget include:

Shop with a list and a budget.
Compare unit prices and try store brands.
Buy produce in season, and use frozen or canned vegetables and fruits.
Choose affordable plant-based proteins like beans and lentils.
Stock up on staples when they’re on sale, and freeze extras.
Limit highly processed and prepackaged foods, which often cost more.

Source: Health Canada. Healthy eating on a budget. Canada’s food guide.

Reduce food waste

Plan meals around what you already have, use leftovers, and freeze foods like bread, fruit and vegetables before they spoil.

General nutrition resources

Trusted, free resources from Health Canada.

Food guide snapshot. Canada’s food guideHealth Canada
Healthy eating recommendations. Canada’s food guideHealth Canada
How to use food labels to make healthier choices. Canada’s food guideHealth Canada
Nutrition labelling: Front-of-package nutrition symbolHealth Canada
Meal planning from start to finish in 4 steps. Canada’s food guideHealth Canada
Healthy eating on a budget. Canada’s food guideHealth Canada

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Nutrition made simple and practical