C. Healthy Living · Healthy Living: Informed Choices for Body, Mind and Relationships

Planning to Eat Well: Labels, Cooking Methods and a Healthy Eating Plan

C2.1About 75 minutes

Learning goals

I can read a Nutrition Facts table and use % Daily Value to compare foods.
I can spot the front-of-package "High in" symbol and say what it means.
I can compare cooking methods and choose healthier ones.
I can build a realistic one-day healthy eating plan that fits my activity level, tastes, culture and budget.

Words to know

Nutrition Facts table
The table on most packaged foods in Canada showing the serving size, Calories and nutrients.

% Daily Value (% DV)
How much of a nutrient one serving gives, compared with the amount most people need (or should stay under) in a day.

serving size
The amount of food that the Nutrition Facts numbers are based on.

ingredient list
All the ingredients in a food, listed from the most (by weight) to the least.

"High in" symbol
A black-and-white magnifying-glass symbol on the front of packages that are high in sodium, sugars or saturated fat.

highly processed foods
Foods changed a lot from their original form, often with added sodium, sugars or saturated fat, like chips, candy, hot dogs and many sugary drinks.

healthy eating plan
A realistic plan of meals and snacks that meets your nutrient and energy needs and fits your life.

From knowing to doing

You know what nutrients do. Now the real test: on a busy Tuesday with a practice, a test and $5 in your pocket, what do you actually eat? This lesson finishes C2.1: applying nutrition principles and healthy eating practices, including healthy cooking methods, to make a healthy eating plan.

Reading the Nutrition Facts table

Follow these steps on any package:

Serving size first. All numbers are for that amount. If you eat double, double the numbers.
Calories tell you how much energy is in one serving.
% Daily Value tells you if a serving has a little or a lot of a nutrient: 5% DV or less is a little; 15% DV or more is a lot.
Aim for more of: fibre, calcium, iron, potassium. Aim for less of: sodium, sugars, saturated fat.
Check the ingredient list: ingredients are listed from most to least by weight. If sugar is one of the first few, there's a lot.

A sample label (for a flavoured yogurt). Read the serving size first, then use the 5%/15% rule: 18% sugars is a lot, and so is 19% calcium, which is a good thing.

The % DV rule on a number line: 5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot. Values in between are moderate.

The "High in" symbol

Since January 1, 2026, Health Canada requires most prepackaged foods that are high in sodium, sugars or saturated fat to show a black-and-white magnifying-glass "High in" symbol on the front of the package. It lets you compare in seconds. Some foods, like plain vegetables and fruits, plain whole or 2% milk, eggs and plain nuts, don't need it.

Healthy cooking methods

The same potato can be a steamed side dish or a basket of deep-fried fries. How food is cooked changes how much fat, sodium and energy it has, and how many nutrients it keeps.

Steaming, baking, roasting, grilling, poaching and boiling add little or no fat.
Stir-frying uses a small amount of oil and keeps vegetables crisp and colourful.
Deep-frying soaks food in oil and adds much more fat and energy.
Long boiling can wash some vitamins (like vitamin C) into the water. Steaming or using less water keeps more of them.

Flavour without lots of salt: herbs, spices, garlic, lemon or lime juice, and vinegar.

Cooking methods from little or no added fat (left) to a lot (right). Baking fries in the oven instead of deep-frying them is an easy swap.

Building a healthy eating plan

A good plan is:

Balanced: most meals look like the Food Guide plate.
Regular: 3 meals plus snacks, so you don't run on empty (no skipped breakfast before a morning practice).
Matched to activity: more food energy on training days, carbohydrates before and protein plus carbohydrates after.
Mostly whole and minimally processed foods, with highly processed foods less often.
Realistic: fits your budget, culture, tastes, schedule and cooking skills. A plan you won't follow isn't a plan.

Budget tips: buy frozen vegetables and fruits (just as nutritious), canned beans and lentils, oats, eggs, and seasonal Ontario produce; cook big batches and pack leftovers.

Worked example

Let's compare two cereals with labels

Per 1 cup: Cereal A: 150 Calories, fibre 1 g (4% DV), sugars 14 g (14% DV), sodium 200 mg (9% DV). Cereal B: 150 Calories, fibre 5 g (18% DV), sugars 5 g (5% DV), sodium 120 mg (5% DV). Which is the better everyday choice?

Serving sizes are the same (1 cup), so we can compare directly.
Fibre: A has 4% (a little); B has 18% (a lot). More is better.
Sugars: A has 14% (close to a lot); B has 5% (a little). Less is better.
Sodium: A 9%, B 5%. Less is better.

Cereal B is the better everyday choice: more fibre, less sugar and less sodium for the same Calories.

Worked example

Let's build a one-day plan for a game day

Mateo, 14, has a soccer game at 6:00 p.m. His family eats rice and beans often and has a small budget. Plan his day.

Breakfast (7:00): oatmeal made with milk, a sliced banana, a spoon of peanut butter. (Whole grain, fruit, protein, calcium.)
Lunch (12:00): leftover rice and black beans with salsa and shredded cabbage; water. (Familiar, cheap, carbohydrates, plant protein, fibre.)
Snack (3:30): a whole grain pita with hummus and an apple: carbohydrates for the game, eaten more than 2 hours before.
During the game: water.
Dinner (after the game, 8:00): baked chicken thighs (or eggs), roasted potatoes and carrots, a glass of milk: carbohydrates plus protein to refuel and repair.
Check: vegetables and fruits at most meals, whole grains, protein each meal, water as main drink, foods his family already enjoys and can afford, mostly baked or roasted.

A balanced, regular, activity-matched and realistic plan that respects his family's food and budget.

Just for fun

Why don't eggs tell jokes?

They'd crack each other up. (Poached, boiled or scrambled, eggs are an affordable protein food that never needs a deep fryer.)

Hands-on activity

Plan and cook one healthy meal

Grown-up note: cooking uses knives and heat. Work with an adult, use oven mitts, and turn pot handles inward.

You need: your kitchen, a recipe your family likes, and food you already have.

Pick a meal your family usually eats.
Check it against the Food Guide plate. What could you add or swap? (e.g. add a vegetable, swap white rice for brown, bake instead of fry.)
Read the labels of two packaged ingredients. Note any that are high (15% DV or more) in sodium, sugars or saturated fat.
Cook the meal with your grown-up using a lower-fat method.
Write a one-day plan that includes this meal, matched to your activity tomorrow.

What to look for: a real change that keeps the meal enjoyable, correct use of the 5%/15% rule, and a plan with regular meals and snacks.

Your turn

What is the first thing to check on a Nutrition Facts table?

What does 5% DV or less mean? 15% DV or more?

A soup has 32% DV sodium per serving. Is that a little or a lot?

Name three cooking methods that add little or no fat.

The ingredient list of a granola bar starts: sugar, oats, glucose syrup... What does this tell you?

What three nutrients does the front-of-package "High in" symbol warn about?

Give two ways to eat healthy on a small budget.

More practice: warm-up

Should you aim for more or less fibre?

Should you aim for more or less sodium?

Which adds more fat: baking or deep-frying?

If you eat two servings, what happens to the numbers on the label?

Name one way to add flavour without adding salt.

More practice: on your own

Crackers: serving 20 g has sodium 8% DV. You eat 60 g. What % DV of sodium did you eat? Is that a lot?

Why might steamed broccoli keep more vitamin C than broccoli boiled for 15 minutes?

Your friend skips breakfast and eats a huge lunch. Explain why a regular eating pattern is better.

Make two healthier swaps for this meal: deep-fried chicken nuggets, fries, pop.

Why is "realistic" an important part of a healthy eating plan?

Challenge

Two yogurts, per 175 g: A has sugars 18% DV and calcium 19% DV; B (plain) has sugars 8% DV and calcium 20% DV. Evaluate and suggest a way to make B tasty.

Write a one-day eating plan for a vegetarian Grade 9 student who has swim practice at 6:00 a.m. Explain your timing.

A takeout meal is fried fish, fries and a large pop. Using cooking methods, labels and the Food Guide, explain how to make it a healthier choice without cooking at home.

Check your understanding

Quiz

On the Nutrition Facts table, 15% DV or more of a nutrient means...

What should you check first on a food label?

Which cooking method usually adds the most fat?

Ingredients on a label are listed...

The front-of-package "High in" symbol warns about which nutrients?

A serving of crackers has 6% DV sodium. You eat 3 servings. How much sodium is that?

Which plan is the most realistic healthy eating plan for a busy student?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: This lesson completes C2.1: apply their knowledge of basic nutritional principles and healthy eating practices to develop a healthy eating plan, by reading labels, comparing cooking methods (e.g. baking versus frying) and building a healthy eating plan.

Facts used: Health Canada's % Daily Value rule (5% or less is a little, 15% or more is a lot); the mandatory front-of-package "High in" nutrition symbol for sodium, sugars and saturated fat (compliance date January 1, 2026); Canada's Food Guide (2019).

Safety: the activity uses knives and heat; please supervise.

How to help at home:

Let your teen plan and cook one meal a week.
Compare two similar products in the store using the 5%/15% rule.
Respect cultural foods: healthy eating fits every food tradition.

Common difficulties: ignoring serving size; reading grams instead of % DV when comparing; thinking a "healthy plan" must be expensive or unfamiliar.