What is Nutrition?

Making the best food choices

Canada Food Guide

• Balanced meals

• Grains: Carbohydrates

• Meat and alternatives and dairy: Proteins

• Fruits and vegetables and dairy: Vitamins, Minerals

• Water

• Oil, butter: Fats

Canada’s Food Guide also Recommends:

–Satisfying your thirst with water

–Enjoying a variety of foods from

the four food groups

One Food Guide Serving of Vegetables and Fruit is:

• 125 mL (½ cup) fresh, frozen or canned vegetable or fruit or 100% juice

• 250 mL (1 cup) leafy raw

vegetables or salad

• 1 fruit

Vegetables and Fruit• Eat at least one dark green and

one orange vegetable each day

• Choose vegetables and fruit prepared with little or no added fat, sugar or salt

• Have vegetables and fruit more often than juice

One Food Guide Serving of Grain Products is:

• 1 slice (35 g) bread or ½ bagel (45 g) • ½ pita (35 g) or ½ tortilla (35 g) • 125 mL (½ cup) cooked rice, pasta, or

couscous • 30 g cold cereal • 175 mL (¾ cup) hot cereal

Grain Products

• Make at least half of your grain products whole grain each day

• Choose grain products that are lower in fat, sugar or salt

One Food Guide Serving of Milk and Alternatives is:

• 250 mL (1 cup) milk or fortified soy beverage

• 175 g (¾ cup) yogurt

• 50 g (1 ½ oz.) cheese

Milk and Alternatives

• Drink skim, 1% or 2% milk each dayDrink fortified soy beverages if you

do not drink milk

• Select lower fat milk alternatives

One Food Guide Serving of Meat and Alternatives is:

• 75 g (2 ½ oz.) or 125 mL (½ cup) cooked fish, shellfish, poultry or lean meat

• 175 mL (¾ cup) cooked beans • 2 eggs • 30 mL (2 Tbsp) peanut butter

Meat and Alternatives• Have meat alternatives such as beans,

lentils and tofu often

• Eat at least two Food Guide Servings of fish each week

• Select lean meat and alternatives prepared with little or no added fat or salt

Count the Food Guide Servings in this Meal

• 125 mL (½ cup) fresh bean sprouts•  (1 cup) carrot, cauliflower, mushrooms,

broccoli, onion • 125 mL (1/2 cup) green and red pepper

• 15 mL (1 Tbsp) peanut oil • 3 servings of fruit and vegetables, 1

serving meat and alternatives and part of oils and fats

Stir Fry

Read the Label• Compare the Nutrition Facts table on food labels

to choose products that contain less fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and sodium

• Keep in mind that the calories and

nutrients listed are for the amount

of food found at the top of the

Nutrition Facts table

A Tale of Two BurgersNutrition FactsBacon Cheeseburger Takeoutserving size120g Calories 330 Fats (mg ) 14 22% DVSaturated fats (mg) 6Transfats (mg) 0.4 32%Cholesterol (mg) 45 Sodium (mg) 890 37%Carbohydrates (g) 34 11%Fiber 9 g) 2 8%Sugar (g) 8 Protein ( g) 18Vitamin A % daily value 8Vitamin C % daily value 6 Calcium % daily value 20 Iron % daily value 20

Nutrition FactsBacon Cheeseburger at homeAmount per ServingCalories 545Calories from Fat 30 6% Daily Value *Total Fat 34g 52%    Saturated Fat  16g 80%Cholesterol 114mg 38%Sodium 970mg 40%Total Carbohydrate 29g 10%    Dietary Fiber  1.6g 6%    Sugars  4gProtein 36g 72%Vitamin A 15%Vitamin C 25% Calcium 25%Iron 29%

Doesn’t look like they are very different

Ingredient Control McDonaldsBacon StripsBeef PattyGrill SeasoningKetchupMustardOnions (dehyrdated)Pickle SlicesProcessed Cheese SliceRegular Bun

Bacon Strips: Pork, water, salt, sugar, natural hickory smoke flavouring, sodium phosphate, sodium erythorbate,

sodium nitrite, smoke.Beef Patty: 100% pure beefGrill Seasoning: Salt, spice, sunflower oilOnions (dehyrdated): 100% onions.Processed Cheese Slice: Cheese (milk, modified milk ingredients,

bacterial culture, salt, calcium chloride, microbialenzyme, lipase), modified milk ingredients, water, sodium citrate

and/or sodium phosphate, salt, potassium sorbate,citric acid, colour, soy lecithin.Regular Bun: wheat starch, ammonium phosphate, calcium

peroxide, wheat gluten, ethanol, sorbitol, polysorbate 20, sodium propionate, enzymes, dextrin, corn starch, wheat starch, cellulose gum, ammonium sulfate, malt, calcium carbonate, sesameRegular Bun: Enriched wheat flour, water, sugar and/or glucose-fructose, yeast, vegetable oil (soybean and/or canola), salt, calcium sulphate, ammonium sulfate, malt, calcium carbonate, sesame

Home made100 % beef1 eggSalt free spices: onion, garlic, pepper, oreganoHomemade Whole wheat bun no additives/preservativesCheddar/colby cheeseKetchupMustardTomaotLettuceBacon strip omit to avoid sulfates and phosphates

Simply comparing the nutrition labels does not tell the whole story when comparing restaurant /fast food with homemade. Look at the additives in the ingredients.

Points to consider when preparing a menu

• Entrée or full meal has representatives from each component of the Canada Food Guide

• Each item of your menu has a descriptive paragraph listing the ingredients

• Research various restaurant menus on the internet to look at categories, listings, ingredients

• Many restaurants now carry nutritional information on their websites