A healthy body weight is all about balance — balancing activity level with the calories in your food and beverage choices.

Whether calories or exercise, think "how much and how often."

It's true that all foods can fit in your diet, including your favourite beverages — as long as you watch portion sizes and stay within your daily calorie needs. In fact, Dieticians of Canada emphasizes that total diet and overall pattern of food eaten, rather than any one food or meal, are most important. If consumed in moderation with appropriate portion size and combined with regular physical activity, all foods can fit in a balanced diet.

One way to limit the number of calories you consume is to look for light, low-calorie and no-calorie versions of your favourite foods and beverage. Learn more about ways to get the hydration you need while reducing calories. Download the Hydration Guidelines now.

Weight Management Tips

• Read food labels. Look for the calories per serving, serving size AND the number of servings provided by the packages you buy. To help control portion sizes, consider switching to smaller packages with fewer total portions. Many of your favourite foods and beverages now come in single-serving sizes or 100-calorie packaging.
• Trick your mind. Research suggests that serving beverages in tall, skinny glasses or dinners on smaller plates may give the appearance of more volume. This might help you trick yourself into thinking you had a full portion and make you less likely to go back for seconds.
• Write it down. Keeping a food journal increases your awareness of what you are consuming and may uncover habits that lead to excess calories.
• Take small steps. Cutting just 100 calories out of your diet each day (or doing just 100 extra calories' worth of exercise a day) may result in about a 1-pound weight loss per month — that's 12 pounds a year.
• Choose wisely. Although certain foods and beverages contain calories, they may be providing important nutrients to the body. Calorie-containing beverages, such as milk, many fruit juices and sports drinks, can also provide important nutrients in the form of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals.