Nutrition
Understanding Canada’s Food Guide
Canada's official healthy eating guide made practical: balanced plates, hand portions, simple swaps and a 7-day tracker.
C$16.99Buy
Everyday nutrition courses built on Canada's Food Guide
Practical courses that turn Canada's Food Guide into real meals, grocery lists and quick label checks for an ordinary week in a Canadian kitchen.
- 5 courses
- Tools in every course
- Certificate included
Canada's Food Guide, released by Health Canada in 2019, uses a simple plate instead of daily serving counts. Half the plate is vegetables and fruits, a quarter is whole grain foods and a quarter is protein foods, with water as the drink of choice. Milk, yogurt and cheese sit inside the protein foods group rather than in a separate dairy group, and the guide puts the emphasis on plant-based protein such as beans, lentils, tofu, nuts and seeds. How much you eat can be adjusted to your age, sex, body size and activity level.
The guide is about habits as well as food: cooking more often, eating with others, taking time to notice hunger and fullness, using food labels and being aware that food marketing can shape your choices. Two numbers show why that matters. Health Canada sets an adequate intake for fibre of 25 g a day for women and 38 g for men, yet most Canadians eat about half of that. The sodium limit for anyone 14 or older is less than 2,300 mg a day, while the average intake in 2017 was 2,760 mg.
Dr Aqsa Mukhtiar, PhD in Nutrition, wrote our nutrition courses with Health Canada guidance as the reference point. They are general education, not individual dietetic care. For personal advice, speak with a registered dietitian; in British Columbia you can call 8-1-1 and ask to speak with one free of charge on weekdays. If you live with a health condition or take regular medicines, check changes with your family doctor or nurse practitioner first.
All nutrition courses
Nutrition
Healthy Meal Planning
A balanced week planned in one short sitting, with a batch-cooking planner, pantry staples and quick meal cards for busy nights.
C$27.99Buy
Nutrition
Reading Food Labels
The 'High in' symbol, Nutrition Facts table, % Daily Value and ingredient lists decoded, with a cheat card you can use in the aisle.
C$24.99Buy
Nutrition
Healthy Eating on a Budget
Cheaper, healthier weekly shops: plan your meals, work out cost per meal, stock up on cheap protein and batch-cook for the freezer.
C$24.99Buy
Nutrition
Gut Health and Digestive Wellness
More plants and more fibre, step by step: track variety, keep a food and symptom diary and know which gut symptoms need a doctor.
C$27.99Buy
Which nutrition course to start with
- Want the basics first? Understanding Canada's Food Guide is the shortest course in this topic. It shows how the plate proportions work for breakfast bowls, lunch containers and mixed dishes such as stir-fries and stews.
- Lost in the grocery aisle? Reading Food Labels explains the Nutrition Facts table, the 5% and 15% Daily Value rule of thumb, the black-and-white "High in" symbol, the 11 priority food allergens and the difference between best before and expiration dates.
- Feeding a household on a tight budget? Healthy Eating on a Budget works out cost per meal and builds a week around lower-cost staples such as lentils, canned beans, oats, eggs and frozen vegetables.
- Short on time on weeknights? Healthy Meal Planning gives you a 7-day planner, a batch-cooking session, a grocery list sorted by aisle and a plan for leftovers.
- Thinking about digestion? Gut Health and Digestive Wellness looks at fibre, plant variety and fermented foods, and shows how to increase fibre gradually with enough water.
What the nutrition tools do
- Plate builder and meal balance checker: put a meal together and see how close it is to half vegetables and fruits, a quarter whole grains and a quarter protein foods.
- Label cheat card and comparison worksheet: compare two products by % Daily Value for sodium, sugars, saturated fat and fibre in under a minute.
- Cost-per-meal calculator and budget planner: price out a recipe per portion and plan a week to a set food budget in Canadian dollars.
- Meal, batch-cooking and leftovers planners: plan the week once, shop once and use what is already in the fridge.
- Plant variety tracker and food and symptom diary: count different plant foods across a week and note how meals sit with you.
When a food or digestion worry needs checking
Make an appointment with a family doctor or nurse practitioner when you notice:
- weight loss you cannot explain, or a loss of appetite that lasts
- blood in your stool, or a change in bowel habits that does not settle after a few weeks
- difficulty swallowing, ongoing heartburn or stomach pain that keeps coming back
- that you are cutting out whole food groups and feel tired, dizzy or unwell
For advice outside office hours, call the health line in your province (811 in most places). For severe pain, vomiting blood or any emergency, call 911.
Nutrition courses: your questions
How many servings a day does Canada's Food Guide recommend?
None. The 2019 guide replaced daily serving counts with proportions: vegetables and fruits as the largest part of most meals, whole grains at meals and protein foods as part of most meals and snacks. Amounts can be adjusted for age, sex, body size and activity. The portion units in our tools are MyNutriCare planning aids, not Health Canada servings.
Where did milk and cheese go in the food guide?
Dairy products now sit within the protein foods group. Lower fat, unsweetened milk and yogurt, and unsweetened fortified plant-based beverages, all fit there alongside beans, lentils, tofu, eggs, fish and meat.
What does the "High in" symbol on packages mean?
Since January 1, 2026, most prepackaged foods that are high in saturated fat, sugars or sodium must carry a black-and-white magnifying glass symbol reading "High in". In general it appears at 15% Daily Value or more per reference amount, 10% for small items and 30% for main dishes. Plain vegetables and fruits, plain milk and single-ingredient raw meats are exempt.
How much fibre should I aim for?
Health Canada gives an adequate intake of 25 g a day for women and 38 g for men. Most people get about half. The gut health course shows how to raise fibre slowly over a few weeks, with water, so the change is comfortable.
Will a course give me a personal meal plan?
No. The courses are general education, and the planners help you design your own week. For individual advice, especially with a medical condition, see a registered dietitian or ask your family doctor or nurse practitioner.
Are the nutrition courses suitable for vegetarians and vegans?
Yes. Canada's Food Guide encourages plant-based protein foods more often, and the planners and grocery lists include beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, nuts, seeds and fortified plant-based beverages throughout.
Official sources
- Canada's Food Guide: Make healthy meals with the eat well plate
- Canada's Food Guide: Healthy eating recommendations
- Canada's Dietary Guidelines: Foods and beverages that undermine healthy eating
- Health Canada: Fibre
- Health Canada: Sodium intake of Canadians in 2017
- Health Canada: Nutrition facts tables
- Health Canada: Front-of-package nutrition symbol
- HealthLink BC: 8-1-1 services
Start with one balanced plate
Open the plate builder, fill half with vegetables and fruits, and plan tonight's dinner around it.