Iron is an essential mineral for making healthy red blood cells. If you don't get enough iron, the red blood cells can't carry as much oxygen, likely making you feel tired, weak, and less able to perform at your peak efficiency. Iron comes from a wide variety of foods - of both animal and plant origin. Meat, poultry and fish provide a more readily absorbed iron, called heme iron. Although non-heme iron is not as well absorbed, it can be a great source of iron because it's widely available in many plant foods. You can also aid the absorption of non-heme iron with vitamin C and heme iron. For example, spinach is a good source of both vitamin C and non-heme iron. Combining it with fish in a dish such as sole Florentine can greatly enhance your ability to absorb the non-heme iron.

Canada's guidelines for healthy eating recommend that we eat more complex-carbohydrate foods. Grains are a good source of complex-carbohydrates, fibre, protein, and B vitamins. If you're bored with the usual grains, such as rice, wheat, and oats, you may want to try corn. Cornmeal can be made into cereal and muffins, but you can also make it into polenta, a great side dish to accompany your entree. Polenta is an Italian dish that cooks in about 20 minutes. Flavour polenta with herbs and seasonings instead of butter to reduce fat and calories.

A banana is a good source of vitamin C and potassium. Buy bananas that are plump with a uniform shape at desired ripeness level. Let them ripen at room temperature if necessary - refrigeration discolours the peel but doesn't affect the quality. For freshness, avoid ones with blemished or bruised skins. Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating recommends 5-10 servings of vegetables and fruit a day. A serving is one medium size vegetable or fruit. Include a banana at breakfast with cereal, at mid-day as a snack, or at lunch or dinner as a dessert.

Yogurt is a high calcium, high protein dairy food. In fact, one cup of plain yogurt supplies 300 to 400 milligrams of calcium. Like milk, yogurt comes in whole, low-fat, and non-fat varieties. The fat and calorie content reflects the milk it's made from. Yogurt may also be flavoured with fruit, fruit preserves, or extracts such as vanilla or coffee. If you're watching calories, reach for non-fat yogurt. Also, try recipes using plain yogurt as a low-calorie substitute for high-fat ingredients such as sour cream and whipping cream.

Calcium is essential for strong bones at any age. During childhood and the teen years, calcium is especially important for bone growth. But the period of building peak bone-mass continues until age 30-35. Throughout the life span, an adequate supply of calcium in the diet is important to prevent calcium loss from bones. Calcium doesn't work alone. It works in partnership with phosphorus and vitamin D. To bone up on all of these nutrients, make it a habit to eat or drink 2-3 servings of milk products or suitable alternatives daily.

Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating recommends a daily intake of 2-4 servings of milk products. A serving is considered to be 1 cup of milk, 3 ounces of cheese, or 2/3 of a cup of yogurt. Choose the type of milk product that best suits your needs. Keep in mind that some foods found in the dairy case do not qualify as a serving because of their low calcium and high fat content. Butter, margarine, whipping cream, sour cream and cream cheese are wonderful flavour enhancers. So do buy them, but go easy on the amount used. Also, choose low-fat, reduced-fat, light, or fat-free varieties for less fat and calories.

Pasta is made with flour and water. It's high in carbohydrate and B vitamins, but low in fat which make it a good energy food for active people. To make meals more interesting, buy a variety of pasta shapes. For thick sauces, use thicker pastas: fettuccine, lasagna, and tagliatelle. Chunky sauces are best with sturdy pasta shapes: fusilli (twists), farfalle (bow ties), macaroni, rigatoni, and ziti. With smooth, thin sauces, use thinner strands of pasta: cappellini (angel hair), vermicelli, and spaghetti. Larger container-type pasta, such as cannelloni and jumbo shells are perfect stuffed with nutritious ingredients: cottage cheese, spinach, seafood, or lean meat.

Eggs are an economical, convenient, and a easy-to-prepare source of high quality protein. A single egg supplies about 10 percent of the protein you need each day, along with good amounts of iron, vitamins A, D, and B12. Although many people avoid whole eggs because of the cholesterol content (about 200 milligrams per large egg), it is egg yolks - not whites - that contain fat and cholesterol. That's why you can use egg whites liberally in place of egg yolks in many egg dishes. When making scrambled eggs, quiche, and omelets, substitute some of the whole eggs with egg whites. For example, instead of two whole eggs, use two egg whites and one whole egg. That way you'll get the colour and flavour of the yolk with less cholesterol and fat.

From a nutritional standpoint, oranges are probably the most economical buy. They are a great source of vitamin C, folate, and dietary fiber. A single medium orange provides 60 milligrams of vitamin C - enough to meet most people's daily needs. For smokers, at least 100 milligrams of vitamin C is needed daily. Other fruits that are rich sources of vitamin C include grapefruit, kiwifruit, papaya, strawberries, pineapple, melons, mangoes and tangerines.

A little sweetness can greatly enhance the flavour of meat, poultry and fish. Using a sweetener such as sugar, honey, maple syrup or molasses in cooking - as a marinade, seasoning, or in a sauce - adds taste, aroma, texture, colour and body to your dish. From a nutritional standpoint, sugar-containing sweeteners provide 16 calories and 4 grams of carbohydrate per teaspoon. Gram for gram, sugar has less than half the calories of fat making sweeteners a lower-fat seasoning than butter and cream sauces.

Salmon has about 185 calories and 9 grams of fat per 3-ounce cooked portion. It may not be the lowest in fat among the seafood family, but it contains an excellent type of fat called omega-3 fatty acid. These polyunsaturated fatty acids may help lower your risk of heart disease by preventing arteries from hardening. The fat in salmon provides natural basting, so it is perfect for fat-free cooking methods such as grilling, baking and broiling.

Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C. One serving (half a cup) provides 45 mg of vitamin C - enough for everyday needs for most people. Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin and needs to be consumed daily. As an antioxidant, it attacks free radicals that can damage cells and tissues in the body. Vitamin C also functions to keep the connective tissues, capillaries and gums healthy. For freshness and best taste, choose strawberries that are firm, plump and rich red in colour.

Couscous, a form of pasta, originates from Northern Africa. For good reasons, it has become a popular dish in North America. It is wholesome, convenient and fairly inexpensive. Couscous is made from ground semolina wheat, therefore it is a good source of carbohydrate and B vitamins. Because of the fine texture of couscous, it takes little time (5 minutes) to cook. You can use couscous in salads, with other grain dishes, or as a side dish with meat.

Potatoes are a good source of vitamins A and C. Contrary to popular belief, potatoes themselves are not high in calories. It is all those high-fat ingredients cooked with or served with the potato that can be fattening. To add flavour to your potato dishes without all the calories, try fresh herbs and spices, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, skim ricotta cheese, or low-fat sauces. For freshness, choose firm, succulent, smooth-skinned potatoes with no wrinkles, sprouts, cracks, bruises, decay or bitter green areas (caused by exposure to light).

Beef supplies many important nutrients, such as protein, B vitamins, iron and zinc. Certain cuts of beef are leaner than others. When shopping for lower fat cuts, look for the words round or loin in the name: eye of round, top round steak, top round roast, sirloin steak, top loin steak or tenderloin steak. These leaner cuts are not only more nutritious but they are usually a better buy!

Ground beef is an excellent source of protein and iron. It's especially a good buy when you add vegetables and grains as extenders. When using ground beef in meatloaf, use extra lean. The fat is absorbed by the filler and can't be drained after cooking.