HOW DO I TEACH CANADA’S FOOD GUIDE?
Submitted by the team of Registered Dietitians at Teach Nutrition
How to teach Canada’s Food Guide (CFG) is a question that our team of Registered Dietitians at Teach Nutrition hears… A LOT. CFG is part of the curriculum for all grade levels, so it requires different approaches for different ages and stages. Determining how, why, and what parts of CFG are relevant and age appropriate for your learners may be overwhelming, but we’re here to help!
As with other subject areas in school, nutrition education works well when students are given lots of opportunities to explore and practice. Start by focusing on concrete, foundational concepts that you and the students can build on as they become ready to think about abstract ideas such as food categories and nutrients. We have done the work to apply a paced learning approach in all our resources so you can feel confident using these materials in your classroom.
The table below breaks down recommendations by grade division with links to free Teach Nutrition resources.
| For who? | How? | With what? |
| K–3 | Centre learning on food exploration and categorization of foods based on the senses.
E.g., Sort foods into broad categories based on colour, shape, texture, and/or temperature. |
Food Explorers |
| 4–6 | Introduce CFG and begin teaching students about how all foods fit into it.
E.g., Sort foods into their categories: vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods, and protein foods. |
A Guided Discovery of Canada’s Food Guide |
| 7–9 | Connect CFG to food preferences when planning meals and snacks.
E.g., Translate food categorization into hands-on skill development. |
Food for Me |
| 10–12 | Explore complex and abstract concepts such as food systems and the role of nutrients in the body.
E.g., Consider variety and balance while planning and preparing meals and snacks that meet personal needs, using CFG as a tool. |
Feeding Canada |
Want to learn more from the Teach Nutrition team? Come on out to the Shaping the Future conference in February 2023 to interact in person!