So by now you have likely heard that Canada has a new food guide. I have to say that overall, I think it is a big improvement over the last one. It divides foods more logically and has ditched the number of servings recommended.
I especially like the messaging around how to eat. I think this is key! We should enjoy our food and eat meals with others; taking time to eat. As much as we can, we should cook more often. These are messages I can definitely stand behind and are often overlooked. So here are the things I like about the new food guide:
The plate includes foods that people really eat and are readily available in Canada. It also includes frozen and canned foods. I especially like this as they are often just as healthy and more affordable
The protein foods are all combined together. This just makes more sense than trying to explain why soy milk is in the dairy group but tofu is in the meats and alternatives.
It encourages water as the beverage of choice.
The things that I wish they had addressed:
Moved potatoes over with the starches. Having it in with the vegetables is confusing, especially for those with diabetes.
A note that the plate shown wasn't a real meal. Apparently, some people think you would sit down to a meal looking like that, with all the different foods shown.
Take out the note to use food labels. Overall, food labels are confusing to many consumers. If they wanted this messaging, it needed to come with a lot more information and practical advice.
Address vitamin D and the need for it to be supplemented by infants, those over 50 and most of us fall through spring based on where we live (topic of a future post!).
However, they were never going to get it all perfect and this version is so much better than the last so I'm pretty happy with it. Especially as Canada's Food Guide is meant for the general public and not those that have health conditions or need to follow a specific diet, those people are directed to a dietitian; messaging that I love! What do you think?
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