I am so impressed with Canada's new Food Guide!
Health Canada did a lot of things right with this new guide. This is the first time that Canada's Food Guide has been created with minimal industry funding. Previously, certain agricultural industries provided funding to Health Canada to ensure their food products were featured in the guide, whether these food products fit in with what we would call a healthy diet or not. With this version of the food guide, Health Canada limited industry bias and put much more emphasis on the health of Canadians (Yay! 🥳).
In this new guide, the 4 food groups have been eliminated. This guide emphasizes incorporating more plant-based foods (half of your plate), including plant-based protein sources and whole grains. Unlike previous versions of the food guide, dairy products and meats have received less emphasis in the new version. It is also advised to limit processed foods, sugar, and sodium and to choose water as your beverage of choice.
Health Canada has included additional lifestyle recommendations around eating. Mindful eating, cooking your food at home, and enjoying the social aspect of eating are all topics of discussion I have with many of my patients. Eating slowly, enjoying your food, and taking the necessary time to digest your food can help to relieve many digestive discomforts, assist with weight loss, and helps children learn healthy habits around eating.
As an added bonus, Naturopathic Doctors were consulted in the making of Canada's new Food Guide!
For more information about Canada's Food Guide, check out https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/.
If you have questions about how to incorporate Canada's new Food Guide into your diet and lifestyle, I would be happy to speak with you. You can click here to schedule your Complementary Discovery Session or you can shoot me a message on the Contact Page.