What You Eat Matters for Your Health. Getting Back on Track with Healthy Food Choices.
And just like that summer is behind us! A fresh new school year has just begun and as we transition into the Fall season – it is often a time of reflection, refresh, reset and change as we look at getting back on track with goals, or setting new ones.
One of these goals may involve re-examining your eating habits to tweak or refresh some of your food choices to promote a healthy eating pattern and overall nutritional well-being.
Canada’s food guide recommends eating vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods and protein foods as part of a healthy eating pattern to help maintain and improve your health.
Let’s look at some of Canada’s food guide healthy eating recommendations further:
- Eat plenty of vegetables and fruits. In fact, Canada’s food guide recommends trying to make half your plate vegetables and fruits. Vegetables and fruits are good for you. Eating a variety may help lower your risk of heart disease. They are packed with important nutrients like fibre, vitamins and minerals. Fresh, frozen and canned vegetables and fruits can all be healthy options. Choose frozen and canned vegetables and fruits without added sugars and with little to no added sodium. Fruit juice and fruit juice concentrates are high in sugars, so replace with water instead. Choose whole or cut vegetables and fruits instead of juice.
- Eat whole grain foods. Whole grain foods are a source of important nutrients like vitamins and minerals and are healthier choices than refined grains. Whole grain foods have more fibre than refined grains and eating more fibre may help lower your risk of stroke, colon cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. To make sure you are actually eating whole grain choices, read the ingredient list and choose foods that have the words “whole grain” followed by the name of the grain as one of the first ingredients, i.e., whole grain oats, whole grain wheat. Remember to use the nutrition facts table to compare products and choose those with more fibre. As well, choose foods that have little to no added sodium, sugars or saturated fats.
- Eat protein foods. Eating a variety of protein foods provides important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and protein. Canada’s food guide recommends trying to choose plant-based protein foods every day, as these food choices can provide more fibre and less saturated fat compared to other types of protein foods, which can be beneficial for heart health. Try eating protein foods such as eggs, lean meats and poultry, nuts and seeds, fish and shellfish, lower fat dairy products, fortified soy beverages, tofu and other soy products, beans, peas and lentils. Choose and prepare healthier protein foods by selecting foods that have little to no added sodium, sugars or saturated fats.
- Choose foods with healthy fats (instead of saturated fats). Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in Canada. By choosing foods with unsaturated healthy fats, rather than foods with mostly saturated fats can help lower your risk of heart disease. Foods that contain healthy fats include nuts, seeds, avocado, fatty fish, vegetable oils, soft margarine, soybeans and soy products. On the other hand, foods that contain saturated fat and should be limited include fatty meats, high fat dairy products, palm oil, coconut oil and some highly processed foods.
- Limit highly processed foods. Highly processed foods add excess sodium, sugars or saturated fats to your diet which can increase your risk of chronic disease and therefore should be limited. Examples of highly processed foods include sugary drinks, syrups, jams, chocolate, candies, potato chips, pretzels, sauces, dressings, gravies, ice cream, bakery products like muffins and cakes, fast foods like French fries and burgers, frozen entrees like pizza, processed meats like sausages and deli meats.
- Make water your drink of choice. While there are many drinks to choose from, many can be high in calories, sugar, sodium and saturated fat. Therefore, make water your drink of choice as it’s important for your health and a great way to quench your thirst and stay hydrated with calories.
As the saying goes, there’s no time like the present. So, why not start today with revisiting your eating habits to tweak or refresh some of your food choices to promote a healthy eating pattern and overall nutritional well-being. Remember, what you eat matters for your health.
For further information on Canada’s food guide and making healthy food choices:
