Who can use these menus? These four weeks of menus are based on Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide. They are planned for one adult woman, aged 19-50 years old, and show the amount of food an average woman needs. If you are using this resource for children, teens, men, women who are pregnant or breast feeding and seniors, use Canada’s Food Guide found at the back of this resource to help you figure out what types and amounts of food these groups need. The grocery lists will also need to be changed. These menus are healthy and can also be used by people with diabetes and heart disease. They contain foods that are higher in fibre and lower in fat and sodium. They meet the recommendations in Canada’s Food Guide by including plenty of vegetables and fruit (especially dark green and orange vegetables and fruit), whole grain products, milk and milk products and legumes, lean meats, poultry and fish.
For more specific nutrition advice tailored to your lifestyle and health needs, speak to a registered dietitian. Vegetables and Fruit The menus use fresh, frozen and canned vegetables and fruit, which are all healthy choices. Use canned fruit packed in juice or water, rather than syrup. Drain and rinse canned vegetables to reduce the amount of salt. When in season, you can use fresh vegetables and fruit. Milk and Milk Products Look for the % M.F. (percent milk fat) on food packages in the store. The menus use lower fat milk and milk products such as skim, 1% or 2% milk. Snacks The snacks listed each day are grouped together, but can be divided throughout the day into 1-3 snacks, depending on your schedule and your needs.
