This week I want to talk about Canada’s new food guide!
The photo above is a visual representation of Canada’s new food guide. I say new because it was updated in January of 2019 with a new model. There were a variety of changes that were made when making the new Canadian Food Guide.
They have now made the website for Canada’s Food Guide (https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/) a lot more interactive and informative. You can find recipes, healthy options, and educational information (how to read food labels, how to make informed decisions about your food, etc.) They have taken into consideration costs, availability, cultural relevance, and they have made it more inclusive for First Nations people of Canada.
What I found most interesting about the new Canadian Food Guide compared to the old is how the new guide was changed to help with our environmental crisis. The old food guide consisted of a lot of meat and dairy options in a diet, which has now been substituted with water instead of milk, and meat for protein with nuts and beans. This has also changed my view on my diet because it is clear to me that consuming meat products and dairy products is taking a toll on the environment. I have been trying to eat other alternatives such as chickpeas, or smoothies with protein so that I am cutting down on my meat and dairy consumption.
My goal is to move to a more sustainable mostly plant-based diet and see how it makes me feel, and if I can sustain it. It will be a great change for my body and the environment.
Photo from Canada’s Food Guide Website.