Did you know we’ve got a shiny new Canada’s Food Guide? Trust me, this is more exciting than it sounds.
The 2019 guide was made without industry influence and is based on science instead of the opinions of people out to make a financial gain. “But where is the corruption?” you ask. Well, nobody was eating out of the palms of the meat and dairy industries this year and there aren’t major kale lobbyists, so, hopefully, that’s a problem of the past. Here are the basics:
Half of your plate should be filled with fruit and veggies.
Juice is not a fruit. It’s a sugary beverage.
A quarter of your plate should be filled with whole grains (things like brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat bread, and not white, fluffy foods like sourdough or white rice).
A quarter of your plate should be filled with protein.
Drink water.
It is no longer suggested you consume dairy every day. You can, but it’s no longer recommended.
Everybody is encouraged to reduce alcohol consumption since it’s linked with a number of diseases.
This seems basic so far, but a lot of people are flustered over the protein part. The new food guide does not say to fill a quarter of your plate with meat; it says to fill it with protein from plants and/or animals. The guide goes further and suggests that people of the omnivore persuasion lean away from cow, pig, goat, and sheep meats and milks (which are high in saturated fats); instead of those meats, it recommends bird and fish meats as healthier alternatives. If you’re of the herbivore persuasion, this will make the “where do you get your protein?” question easier to contend with on a regular basis.
Regardless of your food politics, the fact that the guide was made without industry influence should be enough to catch your attention. These guidelines are based on the most recent and best-quality scientific research and nobody was able to buy their way into being included in Canada’s Food Guide this time around—this is worth paying attention to.