Employee Health and Wellness

Eat Right


Good nutrition is key to good health.  From fruits and vegetables, to grain products, and meat and alternatives, to dairy products, wholesome foods supply us with the essential nutrients we need to stay healthy and achieve long-term wellness.

One of the first steps to healthier eating involves learning.  Read the following information and learn all about eating and nutrition, including healthy food choices and balanced diets.

Simple Starters

You can make healthier food choices by:
Creating or revising a personalized food plan and sticking to it!
Taking the time to eat every day.  This will minimize mindless munching.
Varying your meals.  You can do this by including at least three of the four food groups from Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating into your daily routine.

Choosing leaner meats, lower-fat dairy products and lower-fat foods.
Eating more whole grain and enriched products.

Choosing dark green and orange vegetables and orange fruit more often.
Limiting your daily intake of salt, alcohol and caffeine.

Drinking 8 to 10 glasses of water - the recommended daily intake.
Storing and packaging food safely.

The Great Meal Grid


A well-balanced meal should contain at least three of the four food groups from Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating.  Mix and match from each column to plan healthy, nutritious meals.

Grain
Products

Fruits and
Vegetables

Dairy Products

Meats and Alternatives

Plain cooked rice

Couscous

Pasta, breads, bagels, rolls, buns and muffins

Pita bread

Flour tortilla

Crackers, Melba toast, pizza crust and flatbread

Breadsticks

English muffins

Breakfast cereal

 Fresh fruit and
fruit salads

Canned fruit in
juice

Fruit juices and
fruit blends

Dried fruit

Raw, cooked
and canned vegetables

Vegetable-based salads (i.e. tossed, coleslaw and
potato salad)

Vegetable or
tomato juice

Vegetable-based soups

Salsa


Milk - skim, 1% or 2%

Soy and rice beverages

Yogurt or yogurt tubes

Block cheese

Cottage cheese

Cheese strings

Milk-based cream soups

Milk pudding

Custard
Hard boiled eggs

Cold meats (i.e. chicken, roast beef, ham and turkey)

Deli meats (i.e. roast beef, ham, turkey and pastrami)

Leftover meatloaf, meatballs, pizza and chili 

Cooked lentils, chickpeas and beans

Water-packed tuna or salmon

Back bacon

Ground beef, turkey or chicken

Canned baked beans
                                                                                                                                                                           

Eating at Work:
Healthy Tips for Breakfast, Lunch and Snacks

Browse through Eating at Work and find many suggestions for your workday meals.

Easy Breakfast Plans

Starting your day with a wholesome breakfast will provide you with essential nutrients and lasting energy for a productive day at work.

Try to eat something in the morning even if you are not very hungry.  Eat a banana, granola bar or a healthy milk shake.

If you're not the 7 a.m. breakfast type, eat an early morning snack at work.  Dry cereal, low-fat yogurt and assorted fruit make great breakfast snacks.

If you have to, get up 15 minutes earlier to make and eat breakfast.
Set the table with bowls, glasses and cutlery the night before.  Once you're ready to eat in the morning all you have to do is serve your breakfast, sit down and enjoy!

If you're running late, simply take a bottle of fruit juice and a granola bar along in the car for an instant breakfast.