Heart and Stroke Foundation Canada
Eating a healthy, balanced diet is one
of the most important things you can do
to protect your health. In fact, up to 80 per
cent of premature heart disease and
stroke can be prevented through your life
choices and habits, such as eating a
healthy diet and being physically active.
A healthy diet can help lower your
risk of heart disease and stroke by:
u improving your cholesterol levels
u reducing your blood pressure
u helping you manage your body weight
u controlling your blood sugar.
What does a healthy, balanced diet look
like?
A healthy diet is made up mostly of
whole or natural foods. We use the words
whole and natural to refer to foods that
have not been highly processed.
1. Eat lots of vegetables and fruit.
This is one of the most important
diet habits. Vegetables and fruit are
packed with nutrients (antioxidants,
vitamins, minerals and fibre) and help
you maintain a healthy weight by keeping
you full longer. Aim for 7-10 servings of
vegetables and fruit every day .
2. Choose whole grain foods more often.
Whole grain foods include whole grain
bread and crackers, brown or wild rice,
quinoa, oatmeal and hulled barley. They are
prepared using the entire grain. Whole grain
foods have fibre, protein and B vitamins to
help you stay healthy and full longer.
Choose whole grain options instead of
processed or refined grains like white bread
and pasta.
Top tips
Prepare most of your meals at
home using whole or minimally
processed foods.
Make an eating plan each week –
this is the key to fast, easy meal
preparation. Your goal is to fill
half your plate with vegetables
and fruit at every meal.
Avoid sugary drinks and drink
saf e drinking water more often.
Keep a reusable water bottle in
your purse or car so you can fill
up wherever you are going.
Eat smaller meals more often. Eat
at least three meals a day with
snacks in between. Keep
easy-to-eat snacks in your purse
or bag for emergencies.
3. Eat a variety of foods that provide protein.
Foods with protein include fish, beans
and lentils, tofu, dairy products and lean
meat. Protein helps build and maintain
bones, muscles and skin.
Eat protein every day. Try to eat at least
two servings of fish each week, and find
recipes with beans, lentils and tofu for
variety in your diet. Dairy products are a
great source of protein. Choose lower fat,
unflavoured options.
4. Avoid highly processed foods.
Highly processed foods are foods that
are changed from their original food source
and have many added ingredients. During
processing, often important nutrients such
as vitamins, minerals and fiber are removed
while salt and sugar are added. Examples of
processed food include: hot dogs, chips,
cookies, frozen pizzas, deli meats, white rice
and white bread.
Some minimally processed foods are
okay. These are foods that are slightly
changed in some way but contain few
industrially made additives. Minimally
processed foods keep almost all of their
essential nutrients. Some examples are:
bagged salad, frozen vegetables and fruit,
eggs, milk, cheese, flour, brown rice, oil and
dried herbs. We are not referring to these
minimally processed foods when we are
advising you not to eat processed foods.
5. Watch out for sugar-sweetened beverages.
Sugar-sweetened beverages are a large
contributor to weight gain. It is easy to drink
empty calories without realizing.
Drink safe drinking water when you are
thirsty, or choose unsweetened milk, coffee
or tea. Sugar-sweetened beverages,
including energy drinks, fruit drinks, soft
drinks and flavored coffees include tons of
added sugar. These drinks often offer no
nutrition and have a negative impact on
your health .100% fruit juice is considered a
sugar-sweetened beverage, and has almost
as much added sugar as a soft drink. Reach
for the whole fruit and drink water instead.
Where fresh drinking water is not readily
available, stay hydrated with coffee, tea,
unsweetened low fat milk, and previously
boiled water.
Tell us on Facebook about your adventures with food this month,
or tweet us @thehubWE #foodmatters
May 2017 - The HUB 7