Why Is Nutrition Important? Nutrition plays an important role in growth and development, health promotion, disease prevention, and the treatment of illness. According to Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating (download PDF 189kb): Enjoy a variety of foods Emphasize whole grain cereals, breads and other grain products, vegetables and fruit Choose lower fat dairy products, leaner meats Limit salt, alcohol and caffeine Achieve and maintain a healthy body weight by regular physical activity and overall healthy eating Food provides the energy needed for our daily activities and eating well helps maintains one’s health. Fill out a nutrition assessment form