5. Look for Nutrient Content Claims
While grocery shopping, look for nutrient content claims on packaging. Depending on your specific situation and health requirements, simply be on the lookout for key words such as ‘good source’, ‘high source’, ‘excellent source’; or ‘contains’, ‘low’, ‘reduced’, and ‘free’ to help make living a healthy lifestyle a little easier.
6. Eat a Variety of Vitamins and Minerals Every Day
Eating a variety of healthy foods in different colours including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains gives your body the vitamins and minerals it needs to function properly.
7. Avoid Tobacco Use
The World Health Organization recommends avoiding the use of tobacco. Tobacco can cause severe damage to your heart, liver, and lungs—increasing the risk of heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, and lung, mouth, and pancreatic cancer.
8. Cook Meals at Home Whenever Possible
Meals from many restaurants tend to be both unhealthy and expensive. Home-cooked meals can help control the cost of meals (especially for those on a tight budget) as well as allow you to manage the ingredients and portion size of each meal to suit your dietary needs.
9. Avoid Fad or Crash Diets
Fad/crash diets—often promoted in the media—promise quick weight loss by severely limiting the amount of food or food groups that may be consumed. These diets are not healthy because it deprives your body of the essential vitamins, minerals, and nutrients it needs to function properly.
10. When in Doubt, Consult Canada's Food Guide
Use Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide to compare your daily food intake with the food guide recommendations and adjust your diet accordingly. This will help you meet your needs for vitamins, minerals, and nutrients; reduce the risk of common illnesses; and contribute to your overall health.