Canada’s Food Guide plant-based diet is, for the most part, elitist. Many of us can't indulge because of a lack of access, affordability or convenience
When the prestigious medical journal The Lancet published a 51-page report recently laying out a plan for a sustainable “planetary diet” that transforms how we eat and live, it made a big splash. The group of 37 experts, all members of the EAT-Lancet Commission, were keen to recognize the urgent need to change our diets…
After years of celebrating our agricultural know-how, the guide has gone urban – and is more than a little patronizing
Say goodbye to the four food groups. Almost 12 years after the launch of the previous version, the new Canada’s Food Guide celebrates food by displaying a plate filled with greens, fruits, plant proteins and grains. And if you look very carefully, you’ll see a cup of yogurt alongside a piece of beef that looks…
Proposed new Food Guide and nutrition labelling policies are crucial to helping Canadians achieve better health
The long process of updating Canada’s Food Guide and reforming nutrition labelling will soon become a reality. And that’s good news. Collectively called Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy, the proposals by Health Canada have been open to public consultation – and, unfortunately, industry lobbying. No one is arguing with the rights of all Canadians to be…
Poor nutrition in Indigenous children, starting with colonization, through residential schools, continues today. It must stop
Indigenous peoples are inuwak, peoples of the land. We have a spiritual relationship with our mother earth; our food is from the land and is intrinsically related to our cultural and spiritual way of life. Food not only nourishes us physically, it impacts our mental attitude and is an essential part of many of our…
As long as you don't eat carbohydrates, fats and protein to extreme levels, you should be just fine
A plethora of ‘experts’ have provided nutritional advice that sounds definitive and evidence-based. Many of us have lived through vast recommendations: low fat, high fat; salt is a problem, salt is no problem; eggs are good, eggs are bad; butter is very bad, margarine is good, then butter is good again; high carbs, no carbs…
Malnutrition common problem for patients entering health care facilities in Canada – costing the system $2 billion annually
By Heather Keller University of Waterloo and Leah Gramlich University of Alberta “You are what you eat,” or so the saying goes. We use this axiom in our developed country, where obesity is often top of mind, to remind ourselves that overeating will lead to a less healthy physique. However, this saying is also true…
Canada's food banks are embracing gardens and greenhouses, cooking classes and more to help clients achieve greater food security
Facing declining donations, an increasing number of Canadian food banks are growing their own food. Canadians may feel guilty for not giving enough but they shouldn’t. This is really about food banks adapting for the betterment of society. The Mississauga, Ont., and Surrey, B.C., food banks recently launched vertical farms using hydroponics and aquaponics. The…
How simplifying and standardizing food labels can help with better food choices
With January coming to an end, those of us who vowed to eat better in 2015 have probably already given up. That’s not surprising, considering that most people grossly underestimate both the amount of calories they consume, and their fat, salt and sugar consumption, even after consulting nutrition labels. According to Statistics Canada, half of…
When the prestigious medical journal The Lancet published a 51-page report recently laying out a plan for a sustainable “planetary diet” that transforms how we eat and live, it made a big splash. The group of 37 experts, all members of the EAT-Lancet Commission, were keen to recognize the urgent need to change our diets…
