Food Behaviour

The amount of food you need every day depends on a number of factors: how physically active you are, your age and whether you are male or female. Health Canada has recently unveiled Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide which provides guidance on how many servings of each of the four food groups you should aim for.

With all of the nutrition information out there, it can be confusing. Along with generally striving to eat foods lower in fats, particularly saturated fats, there are other basic principles of healthy eating that remain true:

• Enjoy a variety of foods from the four food groups: vegetables and fruits, grains, dairy, and meat and alternatives. Eating a variety of foods not only keeps it interesting, it also helps you make sure you are getting a variety of nutrients
• Start your day with a nutritious breakfast – breakfast fuels your day and can help you avoid over-eating later in the day
• Watch your portion sizes – for instance, a single serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards
• Drink lots of water to keep yourself well hydrated
• Have smaller meals more frequently throughout the day – this gives your body a steady supply of energy and can help you avoid overdoing it
• Limit your salt, alcohol and caffeine intake

Adopting these healthy eating habits can be challenging, but they can have a big impact on both your LDL and your Cholesterol Ratio.

Target Calories per Day

Your body is like a machine and needs calories to keep running. Do you know how many calories your body needs to each day to function properly while maintaining a healthy weight? This calculator estimates the number of calories your body burns each day. If your goal is to lose weight by burning off excess body fat, aim to eat fewer calories per day than your daily caloric needs, and maintain or increase your exercise activity.

The amount of food you need every day depends on a number of factors: how physically active you are, how large or small you are, how old you are and whether you are male or female. Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating provides guidance on how many servings of each of the four food groups you should aim for.

With all of the nutrition information out there, though, it can be confusing. Along with generally striving to eat foods lower in fats, particularly saturated fats, there are other basic principles of healthy eating that remain true:

• Choose a variety of foods from the four basic food groups: vegetables and fruits, grains, dairy, and meat and alternatives. Eating a variety of foods not only keeps it interesting, it also helps you make sure you are getting a variety of nutrients
• Start your day with a nutritious breakfast – breakfast fuels your day and can help you avoid over-eating later in the day
• Watch your portion sizes – for instance, a single serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards
• Drink lots of water to keep yourself well hydrated
• Have smaller meals more frequently throughout the day – this gives your body a steady supply of energy and can help you avoid overdoing it
• Limit your salt, alcohol and caffeine intake

Adopting these healthy eating habits can be challenging, but they can have a big impact on both your LDL and your Cholesterol Ratio.