A healthy diet and a balanced lifestyle are important for maintaining health. Lifestyle choices and habits, such as eating a healthy diet or being physically active, can prevent up to 80% of premature heart disease and strokes.

Healthy eating can reduce your risk of stroke and heart disease by:

• Improve your cholesterol levels
• Reduce your blood pressure
• Managing your weight
• Controlling your blood sugar

How does a balanced, healthy diet look?

The Canada Food Guide suggests eating healthy foods every day. It is important to eat more plant-based food and less highly-processed, ultra-processed food.

A healthy diet includes:

1. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables

• It is important to maintain a healthy diet. Fruit and vegetables are rich in nutrients, including antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and fibre. They help maintain a healthy body weight by making you feel fuller for longer.
• At every meal or snack, fill half of your plate with fruit and vegetables.

2. Whole grain foods are a good choice

• Whole grain food includes entire grain crackers and bread, wild or brown rice, quinoa and oatmeal. Whole grains are used to prepare them. The fibre, B vitamins and protein in whole grain foods will help you to stay healthy.
• Whole grain products are better than refined or processed grains, such as white pasta and bread.
• Use whole grains to fill a quarter of the plate.

3. Eating protein foods

• Protein foods include nuts, seeds and tofu. They also include fish, shellfish and eggs.
• The protein in the food helps to build and maintain skin, bones and muscles.
• Eat protein every day.
• Choose more plant-based food and eat two portions of fish per week.
• Dairy products are an excellent source of protein. Select lower-fat, flavourless options.
• Fill up a quarter of the plate with proteins.

4. Limitation of highly and ultra-processed food

• Highly processed foods – also known as ultra-processed – are foods which have been altered from their source of food and contain many additional ingredients. During the processing process, important nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fibres are often removed, while sugar and salt are added. Fast foods, hotdogs, chips, cookies and frozen pizzas are all examples of processed foods.
• Some minimally processed foods are acceptable. These foods have been slightly altered but do not contain many industrial additives. The nutrients in minimally processed foods are almost intact. Examples include bagged lettuce, frozen fruit and vegetables, eggs, flour, milk, and cheese. When we advise you to avoid processed foods, we do not mean to refer to these minimally processed foods.
• Heart & Stroke-funded research has found that ultra-processed foods make up nearly half of the Canadian diet. You can read more about this here.

5. Make water your beverage of choice

• Water is good for your health, promotes hydration, and does not add calories to your diet.
• Sugary drinks, such as energy drinks, fruit beverages, 100% fruit juices, soft drinks, and flavoured drinks, contain a lot of sugar but little or no nutritional value. You can easily consume empty calories and gain weight without even realizing it.
• Even if it contains 100% fruit juice, avoid drinking fruit juice. Fruit juice contains some of the same vitamins and minerals as fruit, but it also has more sugar and less fibre. Fruit juice is not a substitute for fruits. Canadians should not drink their fruits but eat them.
• If you can’t get safe drinking water, try coffee, tea or unsweetened, lower-fat milk. You can also use previously boiled water.

Experts share their top 5 tips.

1. You can prepare most of your meals using foods that are whole or minimally processed. To keep it interesting, choose a variety of different proteins. You can plan better if you give each day a catchy name. This meatless recipe is perfect for “Meatless Monday”.
2. Plan your meals each week. This is the best way to prepare quick and easy meals. Here are some shopping tips.
3. You should choose recipes that include plenty of fruit and vegetables. You should aim to have half of your plate filled with fruit and vegetables at each meal. Every day, choose brightly coloured fruits and vegetables. Orange and dark green vegetables are especially good choices (click here to learn more). You can replace fresh fruits and vegetables with frozen or canned non-sweetened produce. Try this recipe.
4. Drink water instead of sugary drinks. Unsweetened, lower-fat milk is another way to stay hydrated. Keep a reusable bottle of water in your car or purse so that you can refill it wherever you go.
5. Smaller meals are better eaten more frequently. At least three meals and snacks per day are recommended. You are more likely to make poor food choices if you delay eating. In case of an emergency, keep an easy-to-eat snack (such as this) in your bag or purse.