Protein and eating basics, the Canada's Food Guide way

You don't need a special diet to train at home. Canada's food guide offers a simple, flexible pattern that works for most adults, and it's a good default while you build a workout habit.

Start with the plate

Canada's food guide plate is a visual reference for meals and snacks:

• Half the plate: vegetables and fruits.
• One quarter: whole grain foods.
• One quarter: protein foods, choosing protein foods that come from plants more often.

The proportions also work for bowls, lunch boxes and mixed dishes like stir-fries: start by making about half the meal vegetables and fruits. Fresh, frozen, canned and dried foods all count.

Protein foods: a regular part of each plate

Canada's food guide describes protein foods as an important part of healthy eating, and notes that you don't need to eat large amounts of protein foods to meet your nutritional needs. Variety is the point. Examples include:

• beans, peas and lentils;
• nuts, seeds and nut butters;
• tofu, soybeans and fortified soy beverages;
• fish and shellfish;
• eggs;
• lean meats and poultry;
• lower fat milk, yogurt and lower sodium cheeses.

A practical approach that fits the plate: include a protein food at each meal. It also makes snacks easier, because the food guide's snack ideas include hard-boiled eggs, hummus with vegetables, roasted chickpeas, and lower fat yogurt with fruit.

Plant-based protein foods can provide more fibre and less saturated fat than other protein foods, which is why the guide suggests choosing them more often. If you eat only plant-based foods, the guide recommends including foods and beverages fortified with vitamin B12.

Make water your drink of choice

Water is a way to stay hydrated without calories. The food guide's tips include drinking water with meals, keeping a reusable bottle with you, and drinking water during and after physical activity. Keep a glass or bottle within reach during every Corebound session.

Healthy eating is more than food

The guide's eating-habit recommendations are just as useful as the plate:

• Be mindful of your eating habits: take time to eat, and notice when you're hungry and when you're full.
• Cook more often, plan what you eat, and involve others.
• Enjoy your food, and eat meals with others when you can.
• Limit highly processed foods, use food labels, and be aware that food marketing can influence your choices.