Are you looking for simple, healthy eating strategies for you and your family? Referring to Canada’s Food Guide is a great place to start.

When it came out in early 2019, the new Food Guide was celebrated for easy-to-understand nutrition information along with evidence-based information about sodium, saturated fat and sugar. It also makes recommendations based on trends in Canadians’ eating habits

Here are my top 5 healthy eating strategies based on Canada’s Food Guide and how you can take action to help build long term habits.

1. Consume vegetables, fruit, whole grains and protein regularly to lower the risk of heart disease, colon cancer and type 2 diabetes.

The new food guide encourages eating more plant-based foods such as vegetables and fruit, whole grains and plant-based proteins, along with smaller portions of meat, cheese and yogurt.

HOW TO DO IT:

• Include a fruit or vegetable in your meals and snacks
• Experiment with plant-based proteins by adding chia seeds to oatmeal, canned chickpeas to a chicken stew or to chicken salad
• Eat at least one whole grain daily, like whole grain bread for a sandwich or wild rice as a side dish with supper

2. Replace saturated fats with unsaturated fats to help lower total and LDL cholesterol.

Simply, make more room for unsaturated fat sources to help naturally reduce consumption of saturated fat sources.

HOW TO DO IT:

• Cook with extra virgin olive oil or canola oil
• Replace one red meat dish with a fish or seafood dish each week
• Make sandwiches with mayonnaise or avocado
• Snack on dry roasted almonds, pecans, walnuts or cashews
• Choose lower fat milk or yogurt more often (2% or less milk fat)

3. Make water your beverage of choice

If you’re a fruit juice fan, try eating the fruit intact to reap benefits from the fibre in the whole food.

HOW TO DO IT:

• Try sparkling water if you don’t enjoy plain water
• Flavour water with lemon, cucumber, frozen berries or mint

4. Processed or prepared food and beverages high in sodium, sugar, and/or saturated fat are linked to chronic disease. Make these foods a minimal part of your diet.

The Nutrition Facts Table shown on food labels is your friend!

HOW TO DO IT:

• The label demonstrates if a food serving contains a little (5% Daily Value or less) or a lot (15% Daily Value or more) of a nutrient. This is helpful when you’re trying to limit saturated fat and sodium in packaged food options.
• To help limit sugar, purchase plain versions (no added sugar) of every-day foods like cold cereal, oatmeal and yogurt. Adding a little sugar at home, if needed, typically equates to less than the pre-flavoured option.

5. Try a more mindful approach to food and eating.

Mindfulness has a lot of physical and mental benefits. When it comes to mindful eating, it means using all your senses to choose food that is both satisfying and nourishing for your body. Mindfulness can also help you tune into your body’s innate hunger and fullness cues.

HOW TO DO IT:

• Remove distractions like phones, books, television or work while you’re eating
• Ask yourself what you enjoy (or don’t enjoy) about the meal
• Acknowledge any thoughts, feelings or sensations that arise while you eat
• Be curious, rather than judgemental, about your food and how it tastes or feels in your body

Brooke Bulloch is a Registered Dietitian and CEO of Food to Fit Nutrition Inc. She has worked with Huffington Post, Best Health magazine, Canadian Living, Chatelaine, The Globe and Mail and continues as a regular guest on Saskatoon’s Global News Morning.