What are the food groups in Canada's food guide?

The 2019 guide uses three plate categories rather than the old four food groups: Vegetables and Fruits (half the plate), Whole Grain Foods (a quarter), and Protein Foods (a quarter). Water is the drink of choice. The change moves the focus from counting servings of separate groups to balancing proportions on a plate.

Why isn't milk and dairy a separate food group anymore?

In 2019 Health Canada folded milk and dairy into the broader Protein Foods category, alongside plant proteins (beans, lentils, tofu, nuts), fish, eggs, and lean meat. The guide encourages choosing protein foods more often from plants, and lower-fat dairy when you have it, rather than treating dairy as its own daily requirement.

Does Canada's food guide recommend plant-based eating?

Yes. The 2019 guide highlights plant-based proteins first within the Protein Foods category and recommends choosing them more often for health, without requiring anyone to go fully vegetarian. Health Canada also notes that diets with more plant-based foods have a smaller impact on the environment. Animal proteins still fit on the plate.

Canada's food guide plate and its three food groups

Half your plate is vegetables and fruit, a quarter is whole grains, a quarter is protein. See where dairy went and why plant protein leads now.