1. Understanding the Canadian Food Guide and Food Labels
HOW WE GET NUTRIENTS
Understanding the Canadian Food Guide and Food Labels

2. YOUR ENERGY NEEDS Energy from nutrients is measured in CALORIES
The number of calories the body needs depends on your activity level, age, weight and gender
It is recommended that you follow Canada’s Food Guide to determine the amount of nutrition you need

3. SOURCES OF CALORIES
Carbohydrates and proteins provide 4 calories per gram
Fats provide 9 calories per gram
It is recommended that you get 55% of your calories from carbohydrates, 30% from fats and 15% from proteins

4. CALORIC NEED FOR MALES Age Sedentary1 Level Low Active2 Level
1100
1350
1500
4-5 y
1250
1450
1650
6-7 y
1400
1600
1800
8-9 y
1750
2000
10-11 y
1700
2300
12-13 y
1900
2250
2600
14-16 y
2700
3100
17-18 y
2450
2900
3300
19-30 y
2500
3000
31-50 y
2350
51-70 y
2150
2650
71 y +
2200

5. CALORIC NEED FOR FEMALES
Age
Sedentary1  Level
Low Active2  Level
Active3 Level
2-3 y
1100
1250
1400
4-5 y
1200
1350
1500
6-7 y
1300
1700
8-9 y
1600
1850
10-11 y
1800
2050
12-13 y
2000
2250
14-16 y
1750
2100
2350
17-18 y
2400
19-30 y
1900
31-50 y
51-70 y
1650
71 y +
1550
Females (Calories per day)

6. Canada’s Food Guide for Adults
Aged
Males
Females
Fruit and Vegetables
8 – 10
7 – 8
Grain Products 8
6 – 7
Milk and Alternatives 2
Meat and Alternatives 3

7. FRUIT AND VEG SERVINGS
125 mL fresh, frozen or canned  vegetable or fruit
125 mL of 100% juice
250 mL leafy raw vegetables or salad
1 piece of fruit

8. RECOMMENDATIONS
Eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day.
Enjoy vegetables and fruit prepared with little or no added fat, sugar or salt.
Have vegetables and fruit more often than juice.

9. GRAIN PRODUCTS 1 slice bread or ½ bagel ½ pita or ½ tortilla
125 mL cooked rice, pasta, or couscous
30 g cold cereal or 175 mL hot cereal

10. RECOMMENDATIONS
Make at least half of your grain products whole grain each day.
Choose grain products that are low in fat, sugar or salt.

11. MILK AND ALTERNATIVES 250 mL milk or fortified soy beverage
175 g yogurt
50 g cheese

12. RECOMMENDATIONS Drink skim, 1% or 2% milk each day.
Select lower fat milk alternatives.

13. MEAT AND ALTERNATIVES
75 g cooked fish, shellfish, poultry or lean meat
175 mL cooked beans
2 eggs
30 mL peanut butter

14. RECOMMENDATIONS
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.

15. INGREDIENTS LIST A list of all the ingredients in a food
Ingredients are listed in order of weight from most to least
Food companies have to put the ingredient list on packaged foods
Example: Bran Cereal
Ingredients: Whole wheat, wheat bran, sugar/glucose-fructose, salt, malt (corn flour, malted barley), vitamins (thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, d-calcium pantothenate), minerals (iron, zinc oxide).

16. HIDDEN INGREDIENTS Ingredient lists may have “hidden” ingredients:
SATURATED FAT: lard, shortening, butter
TRANS FAT: hydrogenated fats and oils
SODIUM: baking soda, sodium benzoate
SUGARS: glucose-fructose, high fructose corn syrup

17. NUTRITION FACTS LABEL
The Nutrition Facts table gives you information on the amount of 13 core nutrients and calories in an amount of food
Almost all pre-packaged foods have a Nutrition Facts table.
It looks the same on most foods.

18. NUTRITION FACTS LABEL
When listed in grams, it must also include a familiar household unit, such as:
A phrase: one slice
A simple measure: ½ cup
A fraction of the food:  ¼ of pizza

19. NUTRITION FACTS LABEL The % Daily Value is:
A benchmark for evaluating the nutrient content of foods
Based on recommendations for a healthy diet
Used to determine the of a nutrient in a specific amount of food.

20. NUTRITION FACTS LABEL
These foods are not required to have a Nutrition Facts table: 
Fresh vegetables and fruits
Raw meat and poultry
Raw fish and seafood
Foods prepared or processed at the store
Foods that contain very few nutrients such as coffee, tea, herbs and spices
Alcoholic beverages

21. NUTRITION CLAIMS
The Government has rules in place that must be met before a nutrition claim can be made on a label or advertisement
The rules for nutrition claims apply to all foods, prepackaged and not prepackaged, no matter where they are sold

22. NUTRITION CLAIM
Source of fibre: means the food contains at least 2 grams of dietary fibre in the amount of food specified in the Nutrition Facts table
Low fat: means that the food contains no more than 3 grams of fat in the amount of food specified in the Nutrition Facts table
Cholesterol-free: means that the product has a negligible amount (less than 2 mg of cholesterol in the amount of food specified in the Nutrition Facts table) and it is also low in saturated fat and trans fat.

23. NUTRITION CLAIMS
Sodium-free: means the amount of food specified in the Nutrition Facts table contains less than 5 mg of sodium
Reduced in calories: has at least 25% less calories than the food it is being compared to
Light: only on foods that are either "reduced in fat" or "reduced in calories"