There are no surprises in Canada’s new Food Guide that was released this week according to a medical health officer with the Interior Health Authority.
“Our team was one of the many stakeholders that were involved in the consultation process of developing this version of the Food Canada Guide,” said Dr. Kamran Golmohammadi.
“So we were closely working with provincial stakeholders as well as Health Canada in terms of what is best for addressing the informational needs for the Canadian public as well policy makers, decision makers, and professionals.”
Dr. Golmohammadi adds that he believes the flexibility and the way the new food guide is articulated will help to make nutritious food more affordable or introduce more affordable nutritious food options to communities.
“I think it is an excellent improved version compared to the previous version going back to 2007,” he said.
“One important element to the Canada Food Guide is inclusivity and considering there is diversity among Canadians both geographically in terms of different of food habits, different approaches, different traditions, and respect for Indigenous people. Community members themselves also had the opportunity to provide feedback and a lot of thoughts were implemented in the food guide.”
“Our hope is that the flexibility and the way that it is articulated will help to make nutritious more affordable or introduce more affordable nutritious food options to communities which we feel is a great improvement such as improving different forms of nutritious foods such as dried, frozen, and canned that are still valuable,nutritious, and helpful.”
Canada’s new food guide shifts away from meat and dairy towards a plant emphasized diet by showing a plateful of food divided into one-half vegetables and fruits, one-quarter whole-grain foods and one-quarter protein-packed foods such as eggs, lean meats and poultry, and nuts and seeds.
Dr. Golmohammadi says other highlights include water now being the choice of liquid for hydration and drinking, and the emphasis on cooking more often and involving others in planning and preparing meals.
“All in all we are very opportunistic that this new guideline will provide a lot of good ideas for people to have more healthy, more nutritious food in their daily eating habits.”
(Editor’s Note: Listen to Dr. Golmohammadi talk about Canada’s new food guide in the audio file below)