Healthy eating has so much to offer – great tasting
food, and the opportunity to explore foods from different cultures. Not to
mention all the vitamins, minerals, protein, fibre, healthy fats and energy
your growing body needs.
The following charts are general guidelines to help
you
choose healthy meals and snacks most often. Learning
to
read food labels will also help you to choose between
similar
types of packaged foods to find the healthier choice.
CHOOSE
THESE FOODS MOST OFTEN
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Vegetables & Fruit
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Grain Products Milk & Alternatives
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Milk & Alternatives
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Meat & Alternatives
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Vegetables – fresh,
canned or
frozen
Fruit – fresh, canned
or frozen
Fruit
juices – 100% unsweetened
|
Vegetables – fresh, canned or
frozen
Fruit – fresh, canned or frozen
Fruit juices – 100% unsweetened
Whole grain bread, bagels, pita,
bannock, buns or crackers
Whole grain cereal –
unsweetened
Tortillas, naan or roti
Rice cakes
Noodles or pasta
Rice
Pancakes
Homemade muffins
Plain
popcorn
|
Milk – skim, 1% or 2%
Fortified soy beverage
Yogurt
Cheese (low fat ² 20% milk fat) –
cheddar, mozzarella, swiss, or feta
Milk-based soups
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Beef, pork or ham
Wild game
Chicken or turkey
Cooked legumes – beans, lentils
or daal, chickpeas
Eggs
Fish and seafood
Canned fish in water
Nuts and seeds
Peanut
butter
Tofu
|
Vegetables & Fruit
|
Grain Products
|
Milk & Alternatives
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Meat & Alternatives
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Vegetables with
sauces or breading
Fruit canned in
syrup
Sweetened
fruit juices, drinks,
beverages,
punches, cocktails and
“ades”
Dried fruit
(brush teeth after
eating)
Bottled
salsa
Vegetable
soup
|
Granola
bars
Pretzels
Fruit
crisps or cobblers
Cookies
– oatmeal, peanut
butter,
dried fruit
Packaged
macaroni and cheese
dinners
|
Ice
cream
Milkshakes
Flavoured
milk
Frozen yogurt
Processed cheese slices
Refrigerated
pudding cups/
homemade
pudding
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Lower fat wieners or sausage
Canned luncheon meat
Cold cuts
Fish sticks
Breaded meat strips
Canned fish in oil
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Vegetarians need more than veggies
Some people choose to be
vegetarians for personal reasons. Some people are vegetarians because of
religious beliefs or their culture. Vegetarian diets tend to have less
saturated fat, have more fibre, and more of most vitamins and minerals.
Vegetarians, like everyone else, can make poor food choices. A poor vegetarian
diet can be low in protein, iron, calcium, vitamin D and more. If you are
thinking about becoming a vegetarian you should talk to a Registered Dietitian
to help you learn about healthy choices that provide all the nutrients you
need.
Are you a vegetarian? Do you
enjoy:
1. Trying new foods?
2. Cooked beans, peas, lentils,
chickpeas and tofu?
3. Peanuts, nuts, seeds and nut
butters?
4. Dark green vegetables?
5. Eating different foods than
friends and possibly your family (e.g. eat vegetarian pizza while everyone is
eating burgers or wings)?
If you answered “Yes”
to 4 or 5 – You may
already be a vegetarian.
3 to 4 – You could be ready to call
yourself “vegetarian”. Have two or three vegetarian meals every week that
include good sources of protein and iron.
0 to 2 – If you want to go vegetarian,
challenge yourself to try vegetarian dishes once in a while.
Some vegetarian foods:
• Falafel (patties made from
chickpea and sesame seed paste) and pita bread
• Brown beans and toast
• Bean and cheese burrito
• Lentil soup
• Peanut butter and toast
Ways to add in veggies and fruit
• Munch on some sliced veggies while making
supper or for an after school snack. Need a dip? Try Italian salad dressing,
hummus or plain
yogurt seasoned with dill and pepper.
• Add fresh, frozen or canned fruit to
yogurt, cereal or ice cream.
• Try one or two new vegetables each month.
• Eat raw veggies if you don’t like them
cooked*. Broccoli, cauliflower, turnip, spinach, green, yellow or red pepper,
carrots, snow peas, even potato all taste different fresh. Some say they taste
better!
• Order garden salads at fast food
restaurants.
• Order burgers, sub sandwiches or stuffed
pitas with lettuce, tomato and onion. Are there more vegetables available? Add
green peppers, cucumbers, hot peppers and mushrooms.
• Become the in-house salad chef. Try a
variety of green leafy vegetables. Add chopped or diced vegetables or fruits.
Perhaps raspberries, spinach leaves, mandarin oranges, finely sliced cabbage,
mushrooms, grated carrot or zucchini. For a
vegetarian twist, try chickpeas or sunflower seeds.
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