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My Critique of Canada's New Food Guide


๐ŸŽˆCanadaโ€™s Food Guide got an upgrade last week and itโ€™s pretty great!!๐ŸŽˆ

We went from recommended servings & 4 specific food groups to a simple healthy plate schematic. We also went from a guide heavily influenced by corporations within the food industry to a collaborative and more evidence-based guide that had some input from Naturopathic Doctors ๐ŸŽ‰.

I love these recommendations: โœ… cook more often ๐Ÿ˜ โœ… limit processed foods & foods high in sugarโ€ฆ eat REAL food! ๐Ÿ‘Œ๐Ÿผ โœ… dairy is no longer considered a food group โœ… eat more plants! ๐Ÿฅฌ๐Ÿฅฆ โœ… 1/4 plate protein (meat and/or plant-based) โœ… water is the drink of choice ๐Ÿ’ง โœ… HOW you eat is important! โœ… eat meals with others & enjoy your meals ๐Ÿ™Œ๐Ÿผ โœ… be mindful of your eating habits by creating a healthy eating environment โœ… be aware of food marketing & use food labels (labels will be changing by 2020 ๐Ÿ‘€)

Some more things I would have liked to see: โ€ข include healthy fats with each meal (like olive oil, avocado/avocado oil, coconut oil). Drizzle that plate with extra-virgin olive oil! ๐Ÿ‘… โ€ข ditch the canola oil, processed vegetable oils, and margarine ๐Ÿ™…โ€โ™€๏ธ โ€ข eat more veggies than fruit (and fresh or frozen > canned!) ๐Ÿฅฌ๐Ÿฅฆ๐Ÿฅ•๐Ÿฅ’ โ€ข saturated fat is not associated with heart disease - this concept is outdated ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™€๏ธ (more on this another day) โ€ข real butter, ghee and coconut oil are not bad and are certainly more nutritious than margarine โ€ข meat is not unhealthy, especially if it is well-sourced โ€ข organic sources of food are ideal โ€ข visit your local market & farms and shop local when you can!

Remember that although this is a major upgrade to our food guide, individualization and listening to your body is best! ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿผ

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