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New food guide

How well are you eating?

Susan Spicer,

Originally published in Today's Parent August 2007

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You would be surprised how helpful it is, during pregnancy, to have a tool that can give you an idea — gently, confidentially and free — how well you are eating on a daily basis. It can inspire confidence or it can give you a nod toward improvement, without encouraging obsessiveness or guilt. The updated Canada’s Food Guide, launched in February, now provides the number of servings of each food group you should aim for, according to your age. It also gives more guidance on how much a serving is for various types of foods.

Depending on your pre-pregnancy weight, you simply need two or three extra servings from any food group daily. For example, one day you could have an extra slice of whole wheat bread with peanut butter; another day, you could have a smoothie with milk and canned peaches in addition to what you would normally eat. If you visit the Health Canada website, you’ll find a handy tool that lets you personalize the guide with your favourite foods (hc-sc.gc.ca and follow the links).

Food group Daily servings/Age 19-30 years 31-50 years Vegetables & fruit 8 7 Grains 7 6 Milk & alternatives 2 2 Meat & alternatives 2 2 Oils & fats 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil Add 2-3 servings of any food group for pregnancy Other recommendations:

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