Healthy Eating

The value of food!

PROTEINS

Protein builds, maintains, and replaces the tissues in your body. (Not the tissues you blow your nose in! We mean the stuff your body's made up of.) Your muscles, your organs, and your immune system are made up mostly of protein.

CARBOHYDRATES

You've probably seen ads for low-carb foods and diets, but kids and adults need carbohydrates (say: kar-bo-hi-draytz). Most foods contain carbohydrates, which the body breaks down into simple sugars — the major source of energy for the body. There are two types: simple (simple sugars) and complex (starches).

FIBRE

Foods with fibre are really good for you and your bowels! Fibre is found in plants and can't be digested so it helps clean out your intestines by moving bowel movements (also called poop) along. It's important to eat fibre so try some bran muffins instead of chocolate. Another way to get fibre is to eat more brown rice, fruit, and oatmeal. Fibre can be good for you and yummy, too!

FATS

Fats are nutrients in food that the body uses to build nerve tissue (including the brain and nerves) and hormones. The body also uses fat as fuel. If fats eaten aren't burned as energy or used as building blocks, they're stored by the body in fat cells. This is the body's way of thinking ahead: By saving fat for future use, the body plans for times when food might be scarce.Fat gives food flavor and texture, but it's also high in calories and excess amounts of fatty foods can cause many health problems.

SUGARS

Simple sugars are found in refined sugars, like the white sugar you'd find in a sugar bowl. If you have a lollipop, you're eating simple carbs. But you'll also find simple sugars in more nutritious foods, such as fruit and milk. It's better to get your simple sugars from food like fruit and milk. Why? Because sugar isn't added to these foods and they also contain vitamins, fiber, and important nutrients like calcium. A lollipop has lots of added sugar and doesn't contain important nutrients.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS

Just like vitamins, minerals help your body grow, develop, and stay healthy. The body uses minerals to perform many different functions — from building strong bones to transmitting nerve impulses. Some minerals are even used to make hormones or maintain a normal heartbeat.Important vitamins: Vitamin D in milk helps your bones.Vitamin A in carrots helps you see at night.Vitamin C in oranges helps your body heal if you get a cut.B vitamins in leafy green vegetables help your body make protein and energy.

SERVING SIZE

Look at the labels to see what is the actual serving size (the amount of food that is described in a label. Look at Canada’s food guide to determine how many servings you should have a day.

CALORIES

When people talk about the calories in food, what do they mean? A calorie is a unit of measurement — but it doesn't measure weight or length. A calorie is a unit of energy. When you hear something contains 100 calories, it's a way of describing how much energy your body could get from eating or drinking it.