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Healthy Eating & Physical Activity Categories
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Active for Health
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Age and Stage
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Infants, Children and Youth
- Child Who Is Overweight: Evaluating Nutrition and Activity Patterns
- Child Who Is Overweight: Medical Evaluation
- Eczema and Food Allergy in Babies and Young Children
- Feeding Your Baby: Sample Meals for Babies 6 to 12 Months of Age
- Food Allergy Testing
- HealthLink BC Eating and Activity Program for Kids
- Healthy Eating for Children
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for Your Vegetarian Baby: 6-12 months
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for Your Vegetarian Toddler: 1-3 years
- Helping Your Child Who Is Overweight
- Interactive Tool: What Is Your Child's BMI?
- Iron-Fortified Infant Cereal Recipes: Finger Foods For Babies and Toddlers
- Mealtime and Your Toddler
- Parenting Babies (0-12 months)
- Reducing Risk of Food Allergy in Your Baby
- Snack Ideas for Preschoolers
- Your Toddler: Nutritious Meals for Picky Eaters
- Physical Activity for Infants, Children and Youth
- Older Adults
- Pregnancy
- Menopause and Perimenopause
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Infants, Children and Youth
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Being Active
- Health Benefits of Physical Activity
- SMART Goal Setting
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Getting Started
- Getting Started: Adding More Physical Activity to Your Life
- Quick Tips: Fitting Physical Activity Into Your Day
- Quick Tips: Getting Active as a Family
- Fitness: Adding More Activity To Your Life
- Getting Started With Flexibility and Exercise
- Fitness Machines
- Fitness Clothing and Gear
- The Three Types of Physical Activity
- Overcoming Barriers: Adding More Physical Activity to your Life
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Choosing Your Activity
- How to Choose Safe Equipment
- Exercising While Sitting Down
- Fitness DVDs and Videos
- Tips for Picking the Right Activities
- Quick Tips: Getting in Shape Without Spending Money
- Fitness: Walking for Wellness
- Walk Your Way To Health
- Tai Chi and Qi Gong
- Water Exercise
- Yoga
- Bob's Story: Biking for Health
- Exercise and Physical Activity Ideas
- Fitness: Choosing Activities That Are Right for You
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Staying Active
- Fitness: Getting and Staying Active
- Fitness: Making It a Habit
- Quick Tips: Having Enough Energy to Stay Active
- Quick Tips: Staying Active at Home
- Quick Tips: Staying Active When You Travel
- Physical Activity in Winter
- Quick Tips: Staying Active in Cold Weather
- Quick Tips: Staying Active in Hot Weather
- Injury Prevention and Recovery
- Fitness and Exercise Learning Centre
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Conditions
- Diabetes and Hypoglycemia
- Eating Disorders
- Healthy Eating for Disease Prevention
- Eating Right When You Have More Than One Health Problem
- Being Active When You Have Health Problems
- Physical Activity and Disease Prevention
- Anemia
- Arthritis and Osteoporosis
- Physiotherapy for Low Back Pain
- Low Back Pain: Exercises to Reduce Pain
- Cancer
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Digestive
- Managing Constipation in Adults
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for People with Diverticular Disease
- Fibre and Your Health
- Lower Fibre Food Choices
- Eating Guidelines For Gallbladder Disease
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Lactose Intolerance
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for People with Peptic Ulcers
- Bowel Disease: Changing Your Diet
- Celiac Disease: Eating a Gluten-Free Diet
- GERD: Controlling Heartburn by Changing Your Habits
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Controlling Symptoms with Diet
- Food Allergies
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Heart
- Cardiac Rehabilitation
- Coronary Artery Disease: Exercising for a Healthy Heart
- DASH Diet Sample Menu
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for People Taking Warfarin Anticoagulants
- Healthy Eating to Lower High Blood Pressure
- Exercising to Prevent a Stroke
- Healthy Diet Guidelines for a Healthy Heart
- Heart Arrhythmias and Exercise
- Heart Failure: Eating a Healthy Diet
- Heart Failure: Track Your Weight, Food and Sodium
- Heart-Healthy Eating
- Heart-Healthy Eating: Fish and Fish Oil
- Heart-Healthy Lifestyle
- High Blood Pressure: Nutrition Tips
- High Cholesterol: How a Dietitian Can Help
- Modify Recipes for a Heart-Healthy Diet
- Plant-based Diet Guidelines
- Peripheral Arterial Disease and Exercise
- Physical Activity Helps Prevent a Heart Attack and Stroke
- High Blood Pressure: Using the DASH Diet
- Healthy Eating: Eating Heart-Healthy Foods
- Heart Health: Walking for a Healthy Heart
- Izzy's Story: Living with the DASH Diet
- Exercise and Fibromyalgia
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Kidney and Liver
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for People with Early Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Stages 1 and 2
- Healthy Eating Guidelines for Prevention of Recurrent Kidney Stones
- Healthy Eating for Chronic Hepatitis
- Kidney Disease: Changing Your Diet
- Kidney Stones: Preventing Kidney Stones Through Diet
- Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)
- Lupus: Healthy Eating
- Mutiple Sclerosis
- Parkinson's Disease and Exercise
- Sally's Story: Avoiding Metabolic Syndrome
- Spinal Cord
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Food and Nutrition
- About Healthy Eating
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Eating Habits
- Developing a Plan for Healthy Eating
- Drinking Enough Water
- Eating Journal
- Emotional Eating
- Food Journaling: How to Keep Track of What You Eat
- Healthy Eating: Changing Your Eating Habits
- Healthy Eating: Getting Support When Changing Your Eating Habits
- Healthy Eating: Making Healthy Choices When You Eat Out
- Healthy Eating: Making Healthy Choices When You Shop
- Healthy Eating: Overcoming Barriers to Change
- Healthy Eating: Starting a Plan for Change
- Healthy Eating: Staying With Your Plan
- Healthy Eating to Decrease Stress
- Jaci's Story: Changing her Life With Small Steps
- Jeremy's Story: Focusing on Eating Habits
- Loralie's Story: It's Never Too Late
- Maggie Morries: Plan Ahead When You Eat Out
- Plant-based Foods
- Sugary Drinks and Other Beverages
- Sodium
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Nutrients
- Added Sugars
- Antioxidants
- Antioxidants and Your Diet
- Carbohydrate Foods
- Carbohydrate, Proteins, Fats and Blood Sugar
- Choosing a Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
- Cholesterol and Triglycerides: Eating Fish and Fish Oil
- Comparing Sugar Substitute
- Dietary Fats and Your Health
- Dietary Guidelines for Good Health
- Dietary Reference Intake
- Eating Protein
- Calcium and Your Health
- Food Sources of Vitamin K
- Getting Enough Calcium and Vitamin D
- Getting Enough Fibre
- Getting Enough Folic Acid
- Getting Enough Iron
- Getting Enough Potassium
- Healthy Eating: Cutting Unhealthy Fats From Your Diet
- Healthy Eating: Taking Calcium and Vitamin D
- High Potassium Eating
- High Potassium Foods
- Iron and Your Health
- Iron in Foods
- Low-Potassium Foods
- Major Nutrients in Food
- Minerals: Their Functions and Sources
- Non-Milk Sources of Calcium
- Quick Nutrition Check for Protein
- Quick Nutrition Check for Protein: Sample Menus
- Quick Nutrition Check for Vitamin B12
- Types of Fats
- Vitamin and Mineral Supplements for Adults
- Vitamins: Their Functions and Sources
- Food Labels
- Plan, Shop and Prepare
- Food, Water and Beverage Safety
- Canada's Food Guide FAQs
- Food Security
- Vegetarian Diets
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Healthy Weights
- About Healthy Weights
- Genetic Influences on Weight
- Screening for Weight Problems
- Unplanned Weight Loss
- Quick Tips: Cutting Calories
- Physical Activity for Weight Loss
- Weight Loss by Limiting Calories
- Tips for Maintaining Weight Loss
- Choosing a Weight-Loss Program
- Boosting Your Metabolism
- Exercise Helps Maggie Stay at a Healthy Weight
- Healthy Eating: Recognizing Your Hunger Signals
- Hunger, Fullness, and Appetite Signals
- Weight Management
- Weight Management: Stop Negative Thoughts
- Maggie's Strategies for Eating Healthy
- Maggie: Making Room for Worth-It Foods
- Maggie's Story: Making Changes for Her Health
- Weight Management Centre
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Policies and Guidelines
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Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Making Bake Sales Delicious and Nutritious
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Boosting the Sales of Nutritious Food in Schools
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Food Fundraiser Ideas for Schools
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Involving Everyone in Implementing the Guidelines
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Selling Food and Beverages at School Sporting Events
- Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales: Planning Healthy Cafeteria Menus
- Healthier Choices in Vending Machines
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Guidelines for Food and Beverage Sales in BC Schools
- Provincial Nutrition Resource Inventory
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Forms and Tools
- Walking Log
- Exercise Planning Form
- Physical Activity Log
- Par-Q+ and ePARmed-X+
- Target Heart Rate
- Interactive Tool: What is Your Target Heart Rate
- Borg-Rating of Perceived Exertion Scale
- Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
- Overview of BC Provincial and Federal Nutrition Benefits Programs
- Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Body Mass Index (BMI) for Adults
- Interactive Tool: Do Your BMI and Waist Size Increase Your Health Risks?
- Measuring Your Waist
- Body Fat Testing
- Fitness: Using a Pedometer, Step Counter, or Wearable Device
- Email a HealthLinkBC Dietitian
- Email a Qualified Exercise Professional
British Columbia Specific Information
Healthy bodies come in many shapes, sizes and abilities. HealthLink BC, in collaboration with our partners, is reviewing our content to ensure weight-related messaging contributes to efforts to reduce weight bias and stigma while supporting health and wellness for people in B.C.
Speak with your health care provider if you are concerned that your weight is affecting your health. If you have questions about or would like support with eating or physical activity, call 8-1-1 to speak with a registered dietitian or qualified exercise professional.
Overview
What is a healthy weight?
A healthy weight is the weight at which you feel good about yourself and have energy for work and play. It's also one that lowers your risk for health problems.
Why pay attention to your weight?
Staying at a healthy weight is one of the best things you can do for your health. It can help prevent serious health problems, including heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Eating healthy foods and being more active also can help you feel better and have more energy.
What can you do to get to a healthy weight and stay there?
If you want to get to a healthy weight and stay there, making healthy lifestyle changes will often work better than dieting. These steps can help.
- Eat healthy foods. On most days, eat a variety vegetables and fruits, whole grain foods, and protein foods. All foods, if eaten in moderation, can be part of healthy eating. Even sweets can be okay.
- Be active. When you're active, you burn calories. This makes it easier to reach and stay at a healthy weight. Try to do at least 2½ hours of moderate to vigorous activity every week.
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Change your thinking. When you're trying to reach a healthy weight, changing how you think about certain things may help. Here are some ideas:
- Don't compare yourself to others. Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.
- Pay attention to how hungry or full you feel.
- Focus on improving your health instead of dieting.
Health Tools
Health Tools help you make wise health decisions or take action to improve your health.
Are You at a Healthy Weight?
Find out your body mass index (BMI)
Body mass index (BMI) can help you see if your weight is raising your risk for health problems. It uses a formula to compare how much you weigh with how tall you are.
- A BMI lower than 18.5 is considered underweight.
- A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered healthy.
- A BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. A BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.
If your BMI is in the normal range, it means that you have a lower risk for weight-related health problems. If your BMI is in the overweight or obese range, you may be at increased risk for weight-related health problems, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, arthritis or joint pain, and diabetes. If your BMI is in the underweight range, you may be at increased risk for health problems such as fatigue, lower protection (immunity) against illness, muscle loss, bone loss, hair loss, and hormone problems.
BMI is just one measure of your risk for weight-related health problems. You may be at higher risk for health problems if you are not active, you eat an unhealthy diet, or you drink too much alcohol or use tobacco products.
Measure your waist size
Waist circumference is the distance around your waist. Measuring it is a way to check how much fat is on your belly. Having extra belly fat increases your risk of health problems such as heart disease and diabetes.
For most people, the goal for a healthy waist is:footnote 1
- Less than 102 cm (40 in.) for men.
- Less than 88 cm (35 in.) for women.
People who are "apple-shaped" and store fat around their belly are more likely to develop weight-related diseases than people who are "pear-shaped" and store most of their fat around their hips.
To find your waist circumference, use a tape measure to measure around your body at the top of your hip bone. This is usually at the level of your belly button. The tape should fit snugly but not press into your skin.
Check how much body fat you have
Body fat testing checks how much body fat you have. It may be done to find out if you have too much or too little body fat.
The test is one of the ways to measure healthy weight.
People who are trying to become more fit and lose weight sometimes use the test to check for changes in their body fat levels.
Experts have different opinions about what is a healthy body fat range. Body fat recommendations are based on a person's age, sex, and activity level.
Learn more
What Affects Your Weight?
When you take in more calories than you burn off, you gain weight. How you eat, how active you are, and other things affect how your body uses calories and whether you gain weight.
If you have family members who have too much body fat, you may have inherited a tendency to gain weight. And your family also helps form your eating and lifestyle habits, which can lead to obesity.
Also, our busy lives make it harder to plan and cook healthy meals. For many of us, it's easier to reach for prepared foods, go out to eat, or go to the drive-through. But these foods are often high in saturated fat and calories. Portions are often too large.
Your genes
Genes determine what features (genetic traits) you inherit from your parents. They influence your weight by their effect on:
- How your body uses calories (energy metabolism).
- Some people need fewer calories to fuel their bodies. They may have "leftover" calories that are stored as fat. Other people need more calories to fuel their bodies. They have fewer leftover calories to store as fat.
- Basal metabolic rate (BMR).
- BMR is how much energy you burn when you're at rest. If you have a lower BMR, it's easier to gain weight.
- Body signals.
- Hunger, fullness (satiety), and appetite are body signals that tell you how much to eat.
- Set point.
- Your body may try to keep your weight within a specific range, or set point.
- Fat distribution.
- Men tend to store fat in the belly, while women store more in the hips and thighs. As women age, more fat is stored in the belly.
Calories from the foods you eat
Food gives your body energy. Energy from the food you eat is measured in calories. This energy keeps your heart beating, your brain active, and your muscles working.
Your body needs a certain number of calories each day. After your body uses the calories it needs, it stores extra calories as fat.
To lose weight safely, you have to eat fewer calories while eating in a healthy way.
How active you are
Being active is one of the best things you can do to get fit and stay healthy. It helps you feel stronger and have more energy. It can help you lose fat, build muscle, and reach a healthy weight. Being active may also help you feel better, sleep better, and focus.
Learn more
How Can You Get to a Healthy Weight?
Make a plan
You might have heard that a certain diet plan helped another person lose weight. But that doesn't mean that it will work for you.
It's very hard to stay on a diet that includes lots of big changes in your eating habits. If you want to get to a healthy weight and stay there, making healthy lifestyle changes will often work better than dieting. These steps can help.
- Make a plan for change.
Work with your doctor to create a plan that's right for you.
- See a dietitian.
He or she can show you how to make healthy changes in your eating habits.
- Be active.
Part of reaching a healthy weight is being physically active.
- Manage stress.
Having a lot of stress in your life can make it hard to focus on making healthy changes to your daily habits.
- Track your food and activity.
You are likely to do better at losing weight if you keep track of what you eat and what you do.
Set goals
So you're ready to set goals to get to a healthy weight. That's great!
- Focus on small goals.
- For example, your large goal may be to lose 20 kg (50 lb). Your small goal could be to lose 2 kg (5 lb).
- Write down your goals.
- This will help you remember, and you'll have a clearer idea of what you want to achieve.
- Make your goals specific.
- For example, setting a goal to eat 5 helpings of fruits and vegetables 5 days a week is better than a general goal to "eat more vegetables."
- Focus on one goal at a time.
- You're less likely to feel overwhelmed and then give up.
- When you reach a goal, reward yourself.
- Celebrate your new behaviour and success for several days, and then think about setting your next goal.
Change the way you think about weight
Our thoughts have a lot to do with how we feel and what we do. If you need to make changes to get to a healthy weight, you may find it helpful to start paying attention to how you think about weight and what kinds of things you tell yourself about your weight.
When you shift your thinking to become more positive and helpful, you may be surprised at how much better you feel about your goals and your ability to achieve them. Here are some things to remember:
- Healthy bodies come in all shapes and sizes.
- Food is neutral. It's not "good" or "bad," and you aren't "good" or "bad" depending on what you eat.
- You aren't a number on a scale.
With time and practice, you can change what you say to yourself. You can learn to think in a healthy way even when you have setbacks.
Keep track of your weight
Keep track of your weight. Tracking your weight can help you see how you're doing. It can inspire you to keep going and help you make a plan to avoid slip-ups.
- Weigh yourself no more than once a week, unless your doctor tells you to do so more often because of a health problem.
- Try to weigh yourself on the same scale, at the same time of day, in about the same amount of clothing.
- Remember that many things can affect your weight. It's normal for your weight to go up and down a small amount from one day to the next. Try to look at the general trend of your weight, rather than the day-to-day changes.
Learn more
How Can You Stay at a Healthy Weight?
It can be hard to stay at a healthy weight, especially when fast food, vending-machine snacks, and processed foods are so easy to find. And with your busy lifestyle, activity may be low on your list of things to do. But staying at a healthy weight may be easier than you think.
Here are some dos and don'ts for staying at a healthy weight.
Do eat healthy foods
The kinds of foods you eat have a big impact on both your weight and your health. Reaching and staying at a healthy weight is not about going on a diet. It's about making healthier food choices every day and changing your diet for good.
Healthy eating means eating a variety of foods so that you get all the nutrients you need. Your body needs protein, carbohydrate, and fats for energy. They keep your heart beating, your brain active, and your muscles working.
On most days, try to eat from each food group. This means eating a variety of:
- Whole grain foods, such as whole grain breads and pastas.
- Vegetables and fruits.
- Protein foods, such as low-fat milk or milk alternatives, yogurt, cheese, fish, lean meats, poultry, beans, and tofu.
Choose healthy fats, such as nuts, seeds, avocado, fatty fish, and corn or olive oil. Don't have too much or too little of one thing. All foods, if eaten in moderation, can be part of healthy eating. Even sweets can be okay.
If your favourite foods are high in fat, salt, sugar, or calories, limit how often you eat them. Eat smaller servings, or look for healthy substitutes.
Do watch what you eat
Many people eat more than their bodies need. Part of staying at a healthy weight means learning how much food you really need from day to day and not eating more than that. Even with healthy foods, eating too much can make you gain weight.
Having a well-balanced diet means that you eat enough, but not too much, and that your food gives you the nutrients you need to stay healthy. So listen to your body. Eat when you're hungry. Stop when you feel satisfied.
It's a good idea to have healthy snacks ready for when you get hungry. Keep healthy snacks with you at work, in your car, and at home. If you have a healthy snack easily available, you'll be less likely to pick a candy bar or bag of chips from a vending machine instead.
Some healthy snacks you might want to keep on hand are fruit, low-fat yogurt, string cheese, low-fat microwave popcorn, raisins and other dried fruit, nuts, whole wheat crackers, pretzels, carrots, celery sticks, and broccoli.
Do some physical activity
A big part of reaching and staying at a healthy weight is being active.
When you're active, you burn calories. This makes it easier to reach and stay at a healthy weight. When you're active on a regular basis, your body burns more calories, even when you're at rest. Being active helps you lose fat and build lean muscle.
Try to be active for at least 2½ hours each week. It's okay to be active in blocks of 10 minutes or more. Any activity that makes your heart beat faster and keeps it there for a while counts. A brisk walk, run, or swim will get your heart beating faster. So will climbing stairs, shooting baskets, or cycling. Even some household chores like vacuuming and mowing the lawn will get your heart rate up.
Pick activities that you enjoy—ones that make your heart beat faster, your muscles stronger, and your muscles and joints more flexible. If you find more than one thing you like doing, do them all. You don't have to do the same thing every day.
Don't diet
Diets don't work.
Diets are temporary. Because you give up so much when you diet, you may be hungry and think about food all the time. And after you stop dieting, you also may overeat to make up for what you missed. Most people who diet end up gaining back the weight they lost—and more.
Remember that healthy bodies come in lots of shapes and sizes. Everyone can get healthier by eating better and being more active.
Learn more
- Fitness: Adding More Activity to Your Life
- Fitness: Getting and Staying Active
- Healthy Eating
- Healthy Eating: Changing Your Eating Habits
- Healthy Eating: Recognizing Your Hunger Signals
- Quick Tips: Cutting Calories
- Rethinking Drinking: Alcohol and Managing Your Weight
- Tips for Maintaining Weight Loss
- Weight Management: Should I Use Over-the-Counter Diet Aids?
Related Information
References
Citations
- Office of Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Health Canada (2003). Canadian Guidelines for Body Weight Classification in Adults. Ottawa: Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada (Health Canada). http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/H49-179-2003E.pdf. Accessed June 22, 2015.
Credits
Adaptation Date: 6/13/2023
Adapted By: HealthLink BC
Adaptation Reviewed By: HealthLink BC
Adaptation Date: 6/13/2023
Adapted By: HealthLink BC
Adaptation Reviewed By: HealthLink BC
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Learn how we develop our content.
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Contact Physical Activity Services
If you have questions about physical activity or exercise, call 8-1-1 (or 7-1-1 for the deaf and hard of hearing) toll-free in B.C. Our qualified exercise professionals are available Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm Pacific Time. You can also leave a message after hours.
Translation services are available in more than 130 languages.
HealthLinkBC’s qualified exercise professionals can also answer your questions by email.
Contact a Dietitian
If you have any questions about healthy eating, food, or nutrition, call 8-1-1 (or 7-1-1 for the deaf and hard of hearing) toll-free in B.C. You can speak to a health service navigator who can connect you with one of our registered dietitians, who are available 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday. You can also leave a message after hours.
Translations services are available in more than 130 languages.
HealthLinkBC Dietitians can also answer your questions by email.