The food guide kitchen is an online suite of recipes and cooking skills articles. These can help you apply Canada’s healthy eating recommendations to your life. Use these tools to learn important food skills and follow Canada’s food guide.
On this page
Recipes from Canada’s food guide
Canada’s food guide recipes are designed to support healthy eating. They help transform the food guide into healthy, flavourful and satisfying meals and snacks.
Food guide recipes:
- include a variety of healthy ingredients, such as:
- vegetables and fruits
- whole grain foods
- protein foods, including plant-based
- healthy fats
- use healthy cooking methods
- limit ingredients high in sodium, sugars or saturated fat
- Use the least amount possible of these ingredients without sacrificing the taste of the recipe. Remember, a little goes a long way.
A food guide kitchen recipe can help you prepare meals and snacks with healthy ingredients. They may also help you:
- cook more often
- reduce food waste
- improve food skills
- stay within your budget
- try a new food or cuisine
- rely less on highly processed foods
- learn to prepare a variety of healthy foods
- limit sodium, sugars, or saturated fat in your meals and snacks
- enjoy preparing and eating foods that reflect personal tastes and food preferences
How food guide recipes are developed
Food guide kitchen recipes are developed by a team of culinary experts. A diverse group of chefs, dietitians, and taste testers review the recipes to ensure they can help meet your nutritional needs and taste great! Food guide recipes are evaluated by nutrition experts to ensure they are aligned with healthy eating recommendations.
Food guide recipes aim to reflect a variety of:
- budgets
- lifestyles
- food environments
- food and cooking skills
- food traditions and cultures
- tastes and food preferences
Preparing a food guide recipe
Follow the suggested proportions and serving combinations
Most food guide recipes follow the proportions of Canada’s food guide plate. Consult the recipes’ suggested combinations for tips on how to include vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods, and protein foods into the meal or snack.
Make substitutions
Just like Canada’s food guide, the recipes are meant to be flexible! Make changes to the recipes based on your needs, preferences and the ingredients you have on hand.
Use the recipe tips
Each recipe includes tips to help prepare or adapt the recipe. They can help you:
- make ingredient substitutions
- get kids involved in the kitchen
- create meals by offering pairing suggestions
- decrease food waste by describing ways to store and use leftovers
- repurpose your leftovers or use food scraps to grow your own foods
- plan and prepare in advance by highlighting a recipe step that can be done ahead of time
Use food labels when selecting prepackaged ingredients
Learning to use food labels is an important food skill.
Compare and choose products with lower sodium, sugars, or saturated fat, such as:
- lower sodium broths
- lower fat dairy products
- lower sodium sauces and condiments
- canned vegetables with little to no added sodium
- canned or dried beans, peas and lentils with little to no added sodium
Small amounts of ingredients higher in sodium, sugars, or saturated fat can be used sparingly, are optional, or added ‘to taste’. This includes ingredients such as salt and higher sodium condiments, sugars, or higher fat dairy products.
These ingredients may be part of the recipe to:
- reflect the cultural origins of a dish
- improve taste and add flavour to other foods
- ensure the success of a recipe; for example, salt and sugar play a necessary role in the structure and texture of many baked goods
Food guide recipes provide examples of how to use these ingredients in small amounts to enhance a recipe without compromising nutrition. It’s important to remember to enjoy your food. If a recipe with healthy ingredients also tastes good, you’ll enjoy it and you’ll be more likely to eat it again.
