Toronto Nutrition Counselling

Let’s Talk about Canada’s Food Guide

Welcome to my three part series on Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide.
There has been debate questioning whether Canada’s Food Guide is out of date and out of touch with what Canadians eat, and the environment to which we live. Yet, Canada’s Food Guide remains the standard when discussing healthy eating; but do you know why? Perhaps you have heard wind of the debate and have wondered why the food guide remains so important.
To appreciate the importance of the food guide it is helpful to understand where it came from and why it was developed. Also, it is useful to know why there are 4 food groups and why each group has a role in helping us meet our nutritional needs. And lastly, to maximize the potential of the food guide, it is important to know what a serving actually is. * Here’s a hint – they aren’t as big as you think *
Over the next three posts I am going to break this topic down as follows:
1. The History of Canada’s Food Guide and its intended purpose for Canadians
2. The purpose of the 4 food groups and the key nutrients they contain
3. Clarifying the confusion about what a Canada’s Food Guide serving is
I hope you’ll join me as we discuss this important tool in promoting the nutritional health of Canadians.
Written by Laurie Wybenga, RD (Toronto)

(First published on www.lauriewybenganutrition.com – Feb. 18, 2015). Toronto Nutrition Counselling