Food and Nutrition
Eating a variety of foods every day supports your health and well-being. Having a healthy, balanced pattern of eating can help to manage or attain a healthy weight, as well as decrease your risk for various health conditions.
Following Canada’s food guide will help you have a healthy, well-balanced pattern of eating.
Choose a variety of foods from Canada’s food guide:
Healthy eating can reduce your risk of certain health conditions like diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer.
Setting personal goals can help you improve your eating habits. Choose small changes that work for you. Visit Healthy Eating Starts Here for tips and resources on healthy eating.
Here are some healthy eating tips to get you started:
Healthy eating habits can also help you stay at or reach a healthy weight.
Learn more about healthy weight for adults here.
You can meet almost all of your vitamin and mineral needs by following Canada’s food guide. See information on recommended vitamin and mineral supplements below.
It’s recommended that all people who could become pregnant take a multivitamin with 0.4 mg (400 mcg) of folic acid every day.
It’s recommended that all adults take a supplement of 400 IU of vitamin D every day.
Read and follow the instructions on the label. Take the dose recommended on the label.
Check the expiry date before you buy or take any supplements.
Choose a product that you will finish before the expiry date.
Discard the product if the expiration date has passed.
Fluids help you digest your food and move nutrients around your body. The fluid you drink also helps carry waste out of your body.
Most adults should try to take in about 9-12 cups (2.25-3 L) of fluid every day. This includes all beverages, soups, and the water that is part of foods like vegetables and fruit. Your fluid needs depend on your age, gender, body size and activity level.
There are times when you may need more fluid. On a hot day or if you’re very active, drink more to replace the fluid you lose through sweat.
Here are a few tips for choosing healthy drinks:
Drinks with added sugar include regular soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened hot and cold drinks (e.g. hot chocolate or coffee drinks) or slush drinks. These are often higher in calories, lower in nutrients and can contribute to unhealthy weight gain.
Too much caffeine can have a negative effect on your health. Learn more about the amount of caffeine in different foods and beverages here.
Ready or Not contains a lot of information. So we created My To-Do List for you to use as a personal reminder, share with your partner, or bring to your next check-up.
Be sure to click “Add this to my To-Do List” anytime you see something you want to print, email, save, or share. Because we do not ask for any personal information, your list will only be saved for a week after your last added item.