Below is a list of healthy eating and exercise habits for adults. Read through the list to help you choose things you might like to work on. Then use the Setting SMART Goals worksheet to write one or two goals.

Healthy eating

Follow Canada’s Food Guide:

• Include 7 to 10 servings of Vegetables and Fruit every day.
• Include 6 to 8 servings of Grain Products every day.
• Include 2 to 3 servings of Milk and Alternatives every day.
• Include 2 to 3 servings of Meat and Alternatives every day.

Choose and prepare healthy food

• Include three meals every day.
• Make a weekly menu plan.
• Make a grocery shopping list.
• Grocery shop when I am not hungry.
• Read the Nutrition Facts table and choose foods that have a lower % Daily Value (DV) of sodium (salt). Choose items that have lower than 15% DV for sodium.
• Make meals and snacks at home more often.
• Pack a healthy snack to eat when away from home.
• Keep healthy snacks like vegetables and fruit washed, cut up, and ready to eat.
• Keep less healthy snacks out of the house or work space.

Eat more vegetables and fruit

• Fill half my plate with vegetables.
• Add a serving of fruit to my breakfast.
• Add extra vegetables when making casseroles, soups, stews, and sauces.
• Stock frozen, canned, or dried vegetables and fruit in my cupboard and freezer.
• Use a measuring cup to make sure I eat 1 cup (250 mL) of vegetables.

Choose healthy portion sizes

• Eat from a smaller plate or bowl. Try a luncheon or salad plate instead of a dinner plate.
• Use measuring cups and measuring spoons to help understand how much I am eating.
• Eat meals and snacks slowly.
• Keep track of the reasons I am eating. Am I hungry, bored, upset, or having a food craving?
• Put snacks into a smaller bowl or plate instead of eating out of the bag or container.
• Eat at the kitchen or dining table without watching TV or working at the computer.
• Serve meals from the kitchen counter instead of putting the serving dishes of food on the table.

Choose higher fibre foods

• Read the Nutrition Facts table and choose foods with at least 2 grams of fibre per serving.
• Choose higher fibre foods like high fibre cereals, whole grain bread and beans, peas, or lentils.

Choose foods with little or no added sugar

• Eat less foods with added sugar such as cakes, cookies, candy, snack and granola bars.
• Choose sugar-free drinks instead of drinks with added sugar such as pop, fruit drinks, sport and energy drinks.
• Cut down on packaged foods that have sucrose, sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, cane juice extract, dextrin, and concentrated fruit juice in the first few ingredients.

Choose healthy fats and healthy amounts of fat

• Choose healthy fat like olive, canola, sunflower oil, and non-hydrogenated margarine.
• Choose lower fat cheese (less than 20% milk fat) and lower fat milk (skim, 1%, or 2%).
• Read ingredient lists and avoid foods with hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
• Look at the Nutrition Facts table and avoid foods with trans fat.

Choose whole grains

• Read ingredient lists. Look for words like whole grain, whole wheat, oats, cracked wheat, or whole rye.
• Try whole grains like whole grain barley, millet, oats, or brown rice.

Choose healthy drinks

• Choose to drink water throughout the day.
• Choose low fat milk to drink with meals.
• Limit 100% fruit juice to ½ cup (125 mL) per day.

Lifestyle changes

• Write what I eat and drink each day in a journal or electronic device. This will help me to stay aware of my habits.
• Try deep breathing, or talk to a friend or healthcare provider when dealing with stress.
• Cut down on the number of cigarettes I smoke each day.
• Try to quit smoking.

Physical activity

• Make a list of activities I can do and enjoy doing.
• Do activities I enjoy everyday. Over time, I will increase the amount of activity I do.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator.
• Buy a pedometer, record the number of steps I take in a day, and aim to increase them every week.