Nutrition Guideline Highlights

Food choices are broken down into “serve” or “do not serve” categories in the full Nutrition Guideline document. If you are unsure about a specific food, it is the best place to look!

Full Nutrition Guidelines

General Rules

Serve

  • Have lower amounts of added sugar, salt and saturated fat
    • Less than 8g of sugar per 30g serving
    • Less than 10% DV of Sodium per serving
  • Are good sources of nutrients such as fiber, calcium and iron
  • Are minimally processed
  • Align with recommendations in Canada’s Food Guide

Do Not Serve

  • Have higher amounts of added sugar and/or salt
  • Contain unhealthy fats and/or low amounts of nutrients such as fiber, calcium and iron
  • Are highly processed
  • Do not meet MCCSS Nutrition Requirements
  • May not be safe to consume (e.g. raw fish, sprouts or unpasteurized dairy)

Vegetables

Serve

  • Fresh and Frozen vegetables
  • Canned products with sodium less than or equal to 10% DV (daily value) per serving

Do Not Serve

  • Vegetable juice, including 100% juice
  • Packaged potato products (e.g. potato wedges)
  • Vegetable chips

Fruits

Serve

  • Fresh fruits, frozen and canned fruits with no added sugar
  • Unsweetened applesauce or fruit purées
  • Dried fruit with no added sugar

Do Not Serve

  • Fruit juice, including drinks such as 100% fruit juice, fruit beverages, punches, cocktails
  • Processed fruit products with added sugar such as fruit leathers, fruit chips or fruit flavoured rolls

Whole Grain Foods

Serve

Whole grain, whole wheat or bran is first on the ingredient list, sodium is less than or equal to 10% DV (daily value) per serving, and sugar is less than or equal to 8 grams per 30 gram serving

  • Whole grain or whole wheat breads, buns, bagels, rolls, pitas, tortillas, pancakes/waffles, cereals, muffins, granola bars, cereal bars, noodles, etc.
  • Oatmeal (e.g. quick cooking or large flake)
  • Oatmeal, instant (lightly sweetened)
  • Brown rice cakes, unflavoured and unsweetened
  • Whole grains (e.g. quinoa, oats, bulgur, buckwheat, barley, farro, whole wheat couscous)
  • Brown rice, wild rice

Do Not Serve

  • Enriched wheat flour or multigrain breads, bagels, buns, pitas, tortillas, pancakes/waffles, cereals, muffins, granola bars, cereal bars, noodles, etc.
  • Flavoured or sugar-coated breads, naan and bagels (e.g. cinnamon, raisin, blueberry)
  • Cereal with chocolate, candies, marshmallows or sugar-coated pieces
  • Oatmeal, instant (regularly sweetened)
  • Chocolate or yogurt dipped granola or cereal-type bars, or those containing marshmallows, candy or chocolate pieces
  • Pretzels, tortilla chips, potato chips, or pita chips
  • White rice, rice noodles, and enriched white pasta
  • Flavoured, pre-packaged grains, rice and pasta (e.g. garlic, herb, chicken, vegetable, macaroni and cheese)

Protein Foods:
Dairy Products

Serve

Milk

  • Plain skim, 1%, or 2% cow’s milk
  • Unsweetened/unflavoured, fortified soy beverage
  • Unsweetened/unflavoured plant-based beverages with:
    • At least 6 grams protein per 250 ml
    • At least 30%DV for calcium
    • At least 30%DV for vitamin D per 250 ml

Yogurt

  • Plain yogurt, soy yogurt and kefir with less than or equal to 2% milk fat
  • Flavoured/sweetened yogurt, soy yogurt and kefir with:
    • Less than or equal to 11 grams of sugar per 100 gram serving
    • Less than or equal to 2% milk fat

Cheese

  • Non-processed cheese with less than or equal to 20% milk fat (when possible)
  • Cheese sticks, cheese curds with
    • Less than or equal to 20% milk fat (when possible)
    • Less than or equal to 10% DV sodium per serving

Do Not Serve

Milk

  • Flavoured milk (e.g. chocolate milk, strawberry milk)
  • Hot chocolate
  • 3.25% cow’s milk (homogenized milk), table cream, coffee cream, whipping cream, non-dairy whipped cream toppings
  • Flavoured/sweetened plant-based beverages

Yogurt

  • Yogurts with added sugar/candy/chocolate
  • Frozen yogurt
  • Drinkable yogurt

Cheese

  • Processed cheese slices
  • Cheeses made from unpasteurized milk

Protein Foods:
Meat & Alternatives

Serve

Eggs

  • Eggs purchased from an approved source (or ‘graded’ eggs)
  • Pre-boiled hard cooked eggs

Nuts & Nut Butters

  • Nut, seed and legume butters (including peanut, almond, walnut, sesame, sunflower, pea and soy butters)
  • Whole nuts and seeds (dry roasted or unroasted, with no added salt, sugar, oil)

Beans and Legumes

  • Any bean, tofu or legume – canned, bean dip, soup or pasta with sodium less than or equal to 10% DV per serving

Meat

  • Fresh, frozen, ground or pre-cooked with less than or equal to 10% DV sodium per serving:
    • Lean cuts of beef, pork loin, traditional meats and wild game
    • Patties or meatballs
    • Skinless chicken and turkey
  • Pre-cooked chicken/turkey

Fish

  • Fresh, frozen, or canned fish with
    • Less than or equal to 10% DV sodium per serving
    • Drained and rinsed to lower sodium content further, and low in mercury (e.g. cod, sole, haddock, salmon, tilapia, trout, canned light tuna, whitefish)

Do Not Serve

Eggs

  • Eggs purchased from an unapproved source (or ungraded eggs)
  • Unpasteurized, raw or undercooked eggs
  • Seasoned or flavoured liquid egg product

Nuts & Nut Butters

  • Nut, legume or seed butters that have added sugar (e.g. chocolate, chocolate hazelnut, honey, berry)
  • Salted or coated nuts or seeds

Beans and Legumes

  • Canned baked beans in tomato sauce with pork, molasses or maple syrup
  • Store-bought breaded and fried meat alternatives
  • Simulated meat
  • Plant-based hotdogs, sausages, bacon

Meat

  • Prepared/cured meats (e.g. wieners/hotdogs, sausages, pepperoni sticks)
  • Deli meats
  • Ham, ribs, bacon, imitation bacon bits
  • Meat pies

Fish

  • Store-bought breaded or battered fried fish
  • Fresh, frozen or canned fish high in mercury (e.g. canned albacore tuna)
  • Cold smoked fish

Miscellaneous Items

Serve

The following items can be used in small amounts (1-2 tsp.) and served on the side, when necessary, or used in the preparation of mixed dishes

  • Condiments
  • Gravies, sauce, dips
  • Oils, non-hydrogenated margarines, dressings, mayonnaise
  • Toppings and extras e.g. coconut or pickles
  • Honey, jam, jelly, marmalade, fruit butter, or syrup

Do Not Serve

  • Food and beverages containing caffeine such as coffee, tea and iced tea
  • Diet and regular pop, energy drinks or sports drinks, flavoured or vitamin water
  • ‘Protein’ or meal replacement drinks and bars (except when indicated by a parent/caregiver for medical reasons)
  • Candy (including yogurt covered, gummy-type, licorice, fruit flavoured)
  • Hard margarines
  • Lard or shortening
  • Foods with sugar substitutes or sweeteners
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