What does the Canada food guide recommend?

December 7, 2025 •

4 min read

According to Health Canada, dietary risks were a major contributing factor to almost 50% of deaths from cardiovascular disease in Canada in 2017. The latest version of the Canada Food Guide aims to address these health risks by providing accessible recommendations for a healthier lifestyle.

Quick Summary

The Canada Food Guide recommends building meals with proportions of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and protein foods. It emphasizes plant-based foods, water as the primary beverage, and limiting processed items. The guide also encourages mindful eating habits like cooking more often and being aware of food marketing.

Key Points

Half your plate veggies: Fill half of your plate with a variety of vegetables and fruits at every meal for a high-nutrient diet.
Embrace whole grains: A quarter of your plate should be filled with whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat pasta over refined options.
Prioritize plant-based proteins: Allocate a quarter of your plate to protein foods, opting for plant-based choices such as beans, lentils, and tofu more often.
Choose water over sugary drinks: Make water your primary beverage to stay hydrated and avoid excess sugars and calories.
Limit processed foods: Reduce intake of packaged and processed items, which are high in sodium, sugar, and saturated fats.
Focus on mindful eating: Pay attention to your hunger cues, cook at home more often, and enjoy your food for a healthier relationship with what you eat.
Eat meals with others: Share meals with family or friends to foster social connection and promote well-being.

Core Recommendations: The 'Eat Well Plate' Model

Since its redesign, a central visual element of the Canada Food Guide is the "Eat Well Plate," which provides a simple framework for building healthy meals. This model emphasizes the proportion of different food groups on a plate, replacing the older model's focus on serving sizes.

Filling your plate: Proportions for healthy meals

To create a healthy meal, the guide suggests the following proportions:

Half a plate of vegetables and fruit: This category should make up the largest portion of your daily food intake. It includes fresh, frozen, and canned options. Vegetables and fruits are rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals, and choosing a variety of colors helps ensure a broad spectrum of nutrients.
A quarter plate of whole grain foods: This includes whole grain pasta, brown rice, whole oats, quinoa, and whole grain bread. Whole grains provide sustained energy and fiber, and the guide prioritizes these over refined, processed grains.
A quarter plate of protein foods: This category encompasses a variety of sources. The guide specifically recommends choosing plant-based protein foods more often, such as beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and tofu. Animal-based options like lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and lower-fat dairy are also included.

Healthy Eating Habits Beyond the Plate

In addition to the physical plate model, the Canada Food Guide offers several behavioral recommendations for a holistic approach to healthy eating. These habits encourage a more mindful and thoughtful relationship with food.

Essential habits for a healthier lifestyle

Be mindful of your eating habits: The guide encourages individuals to think about how they eat, not just what they eat. This includes being present, eating slowly, and paying attention to hunger and fullness cues.
Cook more often: Preparing more meals at home gives you greater control over ingredients and helps limit the consumption of processed foods high in sodium, sugars, and saturated fats.
Enjoy your food: Food is more than just fuel. The guide promotes enjoying meals, which can enhance social well-being and satisfaction.
Eat meals with others: Sharing meals with family and friends can make eating a more positive and social experience.
Use food labels: Understanding the information on food labels can help consumers make more informed choices, especially regarding sodium, sugar, and fat content.
Be aware of food marketing: The guide advises being conscious of how food marketing can influence choices, particularly since highly marketed products are often less nutritious.

Limiting Processed Foods and Choosing Healthy Fats

Canada's Food Guide strongly recommends limiting the intake of highly processed foods, such as packaged snacks, sugary drinks, and fast food, which often contain excessive sodium, sugar, and saturated fat. When consuming fats, the guide suggests choosing healthy, unsaturated fats more often.

Healthy fat choices vs. fats to limit


Healthy Fats to Choose	Fats to Limit/Consume Less Often
Vegetable oils (canola, olive)	Butter, lard, shortening
Nuts and seeds	Hard margarine
Avocado	Processed meats
Fatty fish (salmon, trout)	Baked goods and desserts
Soft margarine	Cream cheese

The Role of Water and Hydration

Water is highlighted as the drink of choice for hydration. The guide advises replacing sugary drinks, like soda and fruit juices, with water. Staying hydrated is essential for overall health and is encouraged throughout the day, not just during meals. The guide also mentions that traditional Indigenous beverages, like Labrador tea, can contribute to fluid intake.

Conclusion: A Holistic Approach to Healthy Eating

The Canada Food Guide offers a comprehensive and accessible framework for healthy eating. Moving away from specific serving size mandates, it provides a flexible 'plate' model and encourages conscious, healthy eating habits. By prioritizing vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and diverse protein sources—with an emphasis on plant-based options—along with making water the primary beverage, Canadians can foster a balanced diet. The guide's broader approach also considers cultural foods, cooking skills, and the social aspect of eating, making it a well-rounded tool for promoting long-term health and well-being. For more detailed information, including recipes and resources, consult the official website: Canada.ca/foodguide.

Making it work for you

Integrating the Canada Food Guide's principles into daily life doesn't require a complete overhaul of your eating habits overnight. Small, incremental changes can lead to significant health improvements over time. For instance, you could start by adding an extra vegetable to your dinner, choosing whole grain bread instead of white, or swapping one sugary drink per day for a glass of water. The guide's flexibility means it can be tailored to individual tastes, cultural backgrounds, and financial constraints, making healthy eating achievable for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary visual tool of the Canada Food Guide is the "Eat Well Plate," which illustrates the recommended proportions of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and protein foods for a healthy meal.

The guide recommends filling half of your plate with vegetables and fruit, emphasizing that this category should be the largest proportion of your food intake throughout the day.

No, the latest version of the guide replaces specific serving sizes with a focus on general proportions on a plate, allowing for greater flexibility and mindful eating.

The guide recommends eating a variety of protein foods, with an emphasis on choosing plant-based options like beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds more often. It also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, and low-fat dairy.

Water is recommended as the drink of choice to stay hydrated, as it contains no calories and helps avoid the high sugar content found in many other beverages.

Yes, the guide advises limiting the intake of highly processed foods, which are often high in sodium, sugar, and saturated fat.

In addition to food proportions, the guide recommends mindful eating, cooking more often at home, enjoying your food, and eating meals with others.

Yes, the guide states that vegetables and fruits can be fresh, frozen, or canned. For canned options, it recommends choosing products with little to no added sodium or sugars.