What's in Canada's Food Guide?

December 18, 2025 •

4 min read

First published in 1942, Canada's Food Guide has undergone significant updates over the years to reflect the latest nutritional science. The most recent version, released in 2019, shifted away from the traditional four food groups and serving sizes, adopting a more holistic approach to healthy eating. So, what's in Canada's Food Guide now, and how can it help you and your family eat better?

Quick Summary

The 2019 guide highlights a healthy plate model, emphasizing vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and protein foods, with an increased focus on plant-based options. It also provides guidance on eating behaviours like cooking more, being mindful, and limiting highly processed foods.

Key Points

The Healthy Plate: The guide uses a visual 'healthy plate' model, recommending half the plate be vegetables and fruits, one-quarter be whole grains, and one-quarter be protein foods.
Emphasis on Plant-Based Proteins: The current guide recommends choosing protein foods from plants more often, such as legumes, nuts, and tofu.
Healthy Habits beyond Food: The guide provides behavioral recommendations, including mindful eating, cooking at home, and eating meals with others.
Water as the Drink of Choice: The guide promotes water as the preferred beverage, discouraging sugary drinks.
Limited Processed Foods: Recommendations include limiting highly processed foods and being mindful of food marketing.
Flexibility over Prescription: The guide moves away from prescriptive serving sizes and numbers, focusing on general proportions for flexibility.
Shift in Focus: The 2019 guide adopts a more holistic approach to health, emphasizing overall eating patterns rather than individual food groups.

In 2019, Health Canada introduced a new set of dietary guidelines, revolutionizing the country's approach to nutrition. The guide moved away from prescriptive serving counts and focused instead on a proportional 'healthy plate' model, alongside key healthy eating habits. This article breaks down the core components of the current guide, compares it to its predecessor, and provides practical advice for incorporating its recommendations into your daily life.

The Healthy Plate: What to Eat

The most recognizable element of the 2019 update is the 'healthy plate' visual, which simplifies meal planning with clear proportions. Instead of counting servings, you focus on balancing your plate with three key food groups. This includes fresh, frozen, and canned varieties, with an emphasis on choosing options with little to no added sodium, sugars, or saturated fat. The guide's recommendations are designed to make healthy eating accessible and adaptable to different cultures and budgets.

Half Your Plate: Vegetables and Fruits This category forms the largest portion of the recommended dietary pattern. The guide encourages eating a wide variety of colorful vegetables and fruits to get a range of vitamins and minerals.
A Quarter of Your Plate: Protein Foods This group combines the previous 'Meat and Alternatives' and 'Milk and Alternatives' categories into a single, more flexible one. The guide explicitly recommends choosing plant-based protein foods more often, such as beans, lentils, nuts, and tofu. Animal-based proteins like lean meats, poultry, fish, and dairy products also remain part of a healthy diet.
A Quarter of Your Plate: Whole Grain Foods Replacing the old 'Bread and Cereals' group, this section stresses the importance of whole grains over refined ones. Examples include whole wheat pasta, oats, quinoa, brown rice, and whole grain bread.

Healthy Habits: How and Why to Eat

The new guide expands beyond just food types, offering guidance on the behaviors and context of eating. This broader approach recognizes that healthy eating is about more than just what's on your plate.

List of Healthy Eating Habits

Be mindful of your eating habits: Pay attention to your hunger and fullness cues. This helps prevent overeating and fosters a healthier relationship with food.
Cook more often: Preparing meals at home gives you greater control over ingredients, allowing you to reduce your intake of highly processed foods, sodium, sugars, and saturated fats.
Enjoy your food: Appreciate food traditions and the social aspect of meals. Eating with others can positively influence your eating habits.
Make water your drink of choice: Water is the best way to stay hydrated without extra calories or sugar. The guide recommends replacing sugary drinks like soda and fruit juice with water.
Use food labels: Learn to read nutrition facts tables and ingredient lists to make informed choices, particularly when buying packaged or processed foods.
Be aware of food marketing: Be conscious of how advertising and marketing can influence your food choices, often promoting less nutritious options.

Comparison: New vs. Old Food Guide


Feature	2019 Canada's Food Guide	2007 Canada's Food Guide
Visual Model	A "healthy plate" with proportional sections.	A rainbow graphic featuring four distinct food groups.
Food Groups	Three flexible food groups: Vegetables and Fruits, Whole Grains, and Protein Foods.	Four specific food groups: Vegetables and Fruit, Grain Products, Milk and Alternatives, and Meat and Alternatives.
Quantity Focus	Moves away from specific serving sizes and counts, emphasizing proportions.	Provided specific daily serving recommendations based on age and sex.
Dairy	Included within the broader 'Protein Foods' category, encouraging a variety of sources.	Featured its own distinct 'Milk and Alternatives' food group.
Plant-Based Emphasis	Explicitly promotes plant-based proteins more often, such as legumes, nuts, and seeds.	Had a weaker emphasis on plant-based proteins, focusing more on meat and dairy options.
Beyond Food	Provides guidance on eating behaviors, including mindful eating, cooking more often, and enjoying meals.	Primarily focused on the quantity and type of food to be consumed.
Beverage Choice	Recommends water as the primary beverage choice.	Did not formally recommend a specific beverage.

Conclusion: A Modern Approach to Healthy Eating

Canada's Food Guide has evolved into a more modern, holistic, and flexible tool for promoting healthy eating. By focusing on proportions rather than portion counts and addressing eating habits beyond just food, it provides a comprehensive framework for lifelong wellness. The emphasis on plant-based proteins and whole foods aligns with global trends and reinforces the link between diet, health, and the environment. Ultimately, the guide encourages Canadians to make informed, mindful choices that support both individual health and the planet.

Getting Started with Canada's Food Guide

For more detailed tips, recipes, and resources to help you integrate these guidelines into your daily life, visit the official Canada's Food Guide website [https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/].

Frequently Asked Questions

The three main food groups are Vegetables and Fruits, Protein Foods, and Whole Grain Foods. This replaces the old four-group model.

No, the 2019 guide moved away from specific serving counts. It now uses a proportional plate model to illustrate how to balance your meals.

Yes, dairy products are now included in the 'Protein Foods' category. The guide encourages a variety of protein sources, including plant-based options.

Plant-based proteins often have more fiber and less saturated fat than some animal-based options. The guide highlights their health and environmental benefits.

Mindful eating involves paying attention to your body's hunger and fullness cues, which can help you eat more intuitively and make healthier choices.

The guide recommends making water your drink of choice to stay hydrated without consuming the extra calories and sugar found in beverages like juice or soda.

Yes, the guide recognizes the importance of culture and food traditions in healthy eating. It encourages people to enjoy their food and share traditions with others.