Nutrition
“Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food”.
- Hippocrates
Examples of Food Guide Servings:
by Richard Béliveau, Denis Gingras, Pierre Bruneau
This stunning bestseller is a must-read for anyone wishingto improve their health.Healthy Eating Every Day by Ruth Ann Carpenter, Carrie E. Finley
Other selected books
Weight Watchers Weight Loss That Lasts by Weight Watchers
Weight Watchers Start Living, Start Losing: Inspirational Stories That Will Motivate You Now by Weight Watchers
The New Glucose Revolution Shopper's Guide to GI Values 2010: The Authoritative Source of Glycemic Index Values for More Than 1000 Foods by Dr. Jennie Brand-Miller M.D.
The Glycemic Index Diet For Dummies by Meri Raffetto
Children
Teens
Adults
2-3
4-8
Vegetables and Fruit
9-13
14 - 18
19 - 50
51+
F
M
F
M
F
M
Girls and Boys
4
5
6
7
8
7-8
8-10
7
Grain Products
7
3
4
6
6
7
6-7
8
6
7
Milk and Alternatives
2
2
3-4
3-4
3-4
2
2
3
3
Meat and Alternatives
1
1
1-2
2
3
2
3
2
3
Vegetables and Fruit
125 ml (½ cup) fresh, frozen, or canned
vegetable or fruit or 100% juice
250 ml (1 cup) leafy raw vegetables or
salad
1 piece of fruit
Meat and Alternatives
75 g (2 ½ oz.)/125 ml (½ cup) cooked fish, shellfish, poultry, or lean meat
175 ml (¾ cup) cooked legumes
2 eggs
30 ml (2 Tbsp) peanut butter
Milk and Alternatives
250 ml (1 cup) milk or fortified soy beverage
175 g (¾ cup) yogurt
50 g (1 ½ oz.) cheese
Grain Products
1 slice (35 g) bread or ½ bagel (45 g)
½ pita (35 g) or ½ tortilla (35 g)
125 ml (½ cup) cooked rice, pasta, or couscous
30 g cold cereal or 175 ml (¾ cup) hot cereal
Eating healthy
What is healthy eating and why is it so important? How can I achieve it? Is there a place for vitamins and other nutritional supplements in my diet?
There is no lack of evidence demonstrating the link between diet and the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, certain types of cancer, and osteoporosis. For instance, the
authors of the INTERHEART study published in the medical journal Lancet in September, 2004 conclude that changing one’s diet and lifestyle can prevent 90% of heart diseases (Reference). Researches also show that 30% of cancers can be attributed to poor diet habits. (See: Lifestyle and Environmental Causes of Cancers).
Adopting a balanced diet
A balanced diet, as recommended by nutritional guides, will help you meet your needs for vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. As an indication, the table below shows how much food you need from each of the four food groups every day, depending on your age and sex.
Recommended Number of Food Guide Servings per Day
Related pages on this siteFor the scientist in you: See what recent research has shown:Source: “Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide”. Health Canada 2007
Reproduced with the permission of the Minister of Health, 2011Eating well is easier than you think
We all know the importance of adopting a healthy diet, but we may find it hard to know what food is best, to find the time to eat well, or we may think it costs too much to eat well.
Eating well is actually easier than we think. Several highly valuable guides have been developed to help people adopt healthy eating practices, providing very useful information and judicious advice on healthy nutrition and food intake patterns. The newest guides and recommendations are based on current nutritional science and on the evidence-based development of nutrient standards. They also incorporate all the evidence demonstrating the link between diet and chronic diseases. In providing practical tips and easy-to-follow guidelines, these guides help people meet their nutrient needs and reduce their risk of developing obesity and chronic diseases, finally leading to a healthier and happier life.
I would recommend one of the two following guides. Both are very well-written and very easy to follow:
I want to learn more:
Recommended readings:
Books
