BALANCED Living Home » Health and Nutrition » Canada’s Food Guide
Canada’s Food Guide
A balanced diet helps to maintain good health and energy. It includes daily servings from the four food groups—vegetables and fruit, grains, dairy products, and meat or fish—and varies according to age, sex, and physical activity.
On this page, you'll find the number of daily servings recommended by Canada's Food Guide, as well as sample serving sizes for different foods. For more information, see the Health Canada website
Recommended number of servings per day
Women, ages 19 to 50
| Food | Servings |
|---|
| Vegetables and fruits | 7 to 8 servings |
| Grains | 6 to 7 servings |
| Milk and alternatives | 2 servings |
| Meat and alternatives | 2 servings |
Men, ages 19 to 50
| Food | Servings |
|---|
| Vegetables and fruits | 8 to 10 servings |
| Grains | 8 servings |
| Milk and alternatives | 2 servings |
| Meat and alternatives | 3 servings |
Women, ages 51 and older
| Food | Servings |
|---|
| Vegetables and fruits | 7 servings |
| Grains | 6 servings |
| Milk and alternatives | 3 servings |
| Meat and alternatives | 2 servings |
Men, ages 51 and older
| Food | Servings |
|---|
| Vegetables and fruits | 7 servings |
| Grains | 6 servings |
| Milk and alternatives | 3 servings |
| Meat and alternatives | 3 servings |
Children, ages 2 to 3
| Food | Servings |
|---|
| Vegetables and fruits | 4 servings |
| Grains | 3 servings |
| Milk and alternatives | 2 servings |
| Meat and alternatives | 1 serving |
Children, ages 4 to 8
| Food | Servings |
|---|
| Vegetables and fruits | 5 servings |
| Grains | 4 servings |
| Milk and alternatives | 2 servings |
| Meat and alternatives | 1 serving |
Children, ages 9 to 13
| Food | Servings |
|---|
| Vegetables and fruits | 6 servings |
| Grains | 6 servings |
| Milk and alternatives | 3 to 4 servings |
| Meat and alternatives | 1 to 2 servings |
Teenaged girls, ages 14 to 18
| Food | Servings |
|---|
| Vegetables and fruits | 7 servings |
| Grains | 6 servings |
| Milk and alternatives | 3 to 4 servings |
| Meat and alternatives | 2 servings |
Teenaged boys, ages 14 to 18
| Food | Servings |
|---|
| Vegetables and fruits | 8 servings |
| Grains | 7 servings |
| Milk and alternatives | 3 to 4 servings |
| Meat and alternatives | 3 servings |
What is one serving?
Vegetables and fruit
125 mL (1/2 cup) fresh, frozen or canned vegetable or fruit, or 100% juice
250 mL (1 cup) leafy raw vegetables or salad
1 piece of fruit
Grain products
1 slice (35 g) bread or 1/2 bagel (45 g)
1/2 pita (35 g) or 1/2 tortilla (35 g)
125 mL (1/2 cup) cooked rice, pasta, or couscous
30 g cold cereal or 175 mL (3/4 cup) hot cereal
Milk and alternatives
250 mL (1 cup) milk or fortified soy beverage
175 g (3/4 cup) yogurt
50 g (1 1/2 oz.) cheese
Meat and alternatives
75 g (2 1/2 oz.) or 125 mL (1/2 cup) cooked fish, shellfish, poultry or lean meat
175 mL (3/4 cup) cooked beans
2 eggs
30 mL (2 Tbsp) peanut butter
60 mL (1/4 cup) shelled nuts or seeds
Oils and fats
Include a small amount—30 to 45 mL (2 to 3 Tbsp)—of unsaturated fat each day. This includes oil used for cooking, salad dressings, margarine and mayonnaise.
Use vegetable oils such as canola, olive and soybean.
Choose soft margarines that are low in saturated and trans fats.
Limit butter, hard margarine, lard and shortening.
Source: Health Canada, 2007-02-05
