Understanding Canada’s Food Guide
Has Canada’s food and nutrition specialists finally gotten it right?
Canada’s food guide is an interesting reflection of the cultural and scientific beliefs of the year in which it was created or modified.
When the first food guide was created in 1942, the creators had to consider how wartime rationing would affect people’s ability to access the food they recommended. Fast-forward almost 60 years and the food guide is completely different.
Since 1942, there have been nine versions of Canada’s Food Guide. Some of the changes have included reducing the number of food groups, making a diet recommendation for heart disease prevention and reformatting the guide to include a section specifically for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples.
Canada’s newest food guide focussed on eating habits rather than on specific foods. The main portion of the guide is showcased in the simple graphic of a plate. Half of which is taken up with vegetables and the other half divided into equal portions of whole-grain foods and proteins. Dairy is noticeably absent from the guide.
To me, the food guide was something that was taught in elementary school and more extensively in my food and nutrition class in grade 10. It has never been a resource I turned to in my day-to-day eating routine, yet it’s the second most requested document in Canada after tax forms.
The food guide matters because it influences how public-school lunches are organized, and how nursing homes and other government-run organizations manage their food departments.
In the past, the food guide has been criticized for depicting a narrow view of what it means to be healthy. In 2007, the food guide was heavily scrutinized by dietitians who felt that it was an unrealistic representation of how people were expected to eat. The guide focussed on measuring the amount of food people should eat to satisfy their vitamin needs. For example, the guide stated you would need to eat 10 servings of cheese to meet your recommended daily calcium intake.
The guide was republished in 2019, with an entirely new look and intention. Instead of focussing on measurements and good versus bad foods, the guide attempted to promote what it means to be healthy. This included promoting cooking skills and understanding proportions instead of portions.
Norine Khalil, a registered dietitian, believes the new guide represents what it means to be healthy today, while the old one failed to represent the general public.
“When there is intention behind what you do, you are much more likely to get to where you want to be in terms of your health goals,” says Khalil. Instead of focussing on what we eat, focussing on why we are eating can bring about a new relationship with food, says Khalil.
Khalil advocates for the practice of mindful eating. Mindful eating is about maintaining awareness with the food and drink you consume. It involves listening to your body’s reaction to the food you eat and recognizing that eating should not be a mindless act.
The new food guide leans on this thinking by promoting the practice of cooking. Instead of promoting strict rules around eating, the new guide addresses the process of purchasing, cooking and eating food. The guide promoted cooking skills as a healthy habit that helps people care about the food they eat.
Khalil recognizes the new guide as a tool she can recommend to her clients — something she wouldn’t have done before.
Above all else, Canada’s newest food guide makes it clear that healthy eating is more than just eating your vegetables. It is a lifestyle choice that stems from the way people interact and think about food.
