Nutrition

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Canada's new food guide; meat, dairy get a back seat

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Health Canada is in the process of modernizing its food guide and plant-based foods are the new star.

This Canadian government's draft of the new dietary guidelines, due to be finalized in 2018, looks to be a major overhaul, emphasizing that Canadians need to "shift towards a high proportion of plant-based foods."

Replacing the "food groups" are 3 "guiding principles":

A variety of nutritious foods and beverages are the foundation for healthy eating. Processed or prepared foods and beverages high in sodium, sugars, or saturated fat undermine healthy eating. Knowledge and skills are needed to navigate the complex food environment and support healthy eating.

These new "guiding principles and recommendations" will focus on a healthy eating foundation that limits processed foods, rather than the historic use of food groups which are heavily influenced by marketing boards, lobbyists, and other economic concerns, rather than the underlying science of what constitutes a healthy diet.

Recommendations include:

"regular intake of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and protein-rich foods â€“ especially plant-based sources of protein plant-based protein ";



Note: For protein-rich foods, legumes (including beans) are listed first, followed by nuts, seeds and soy products. These plant-based proteins are given prominance over animal foods.





"; For protein-rich foods, legumes (including beans) are listed first, followed by nuts, seeds and soy products. These plant-based proteins are given prominance over animal foods. "eat less red meat (beef, pork, lamb and goat)";





Replace foods that contain mostly saturated fat (e.g., cream, high fat cheeses and butter) with foods that contain mostly unsaturated fat (e.g., nuts, seeds, and avocado);



Note: Saturated fat comes mostly from meat and dairy products. Vegans automatically reduce their saturated fat intake by not eating animal foods, though some plant-based foods, such as coconuts, palm oil and cocoa butter, do contain saturated fat and eating these should be limited.





Saturated fat comes mostly from meat and dairy products. Vegans automatically reduce their saturated fat intake by not eating animal foods, though some plant-based foods, such as coconuts, palm oil and cocoa butter, do contain saturated fat and eating these should be limited. "Limit intake of processed or prepared foods high in sodium, sugars, or saturated fat".

In this latest effort, the environment is given specific mention. They state that healthier eating reduces greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), soil degradation and water quality. "Diets higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods are associated with a lesser environmental impact".

The new food guidelines, due to be rolled out in 2018, are currently in the Phase 2 - Public Consultation stage and Health Canada is asking for input up until mid-2017. The Dairy industry, for example, are making their case as seen on this YouTube video, so this is your chance to be heard.

Canada's Food Guide was first introduced 75 years ago in July 1942. In this initial version of Canada's Official Food Rules, milk was first in the list of healthy daily eating recommendations. For the next 50 years including the release of the 1992 version of the food guide, Milk Products were featured as one of 4 food groups. Grain Products, Vegetables and Fruit and Meat and Alternatives being the other three. It was not until 2007 that the Milk Products group was changed to Milk and Alternatives, but still only one of 6 components of this group was plant based, with the specific listing of Fortified soy beverage.

There appears to be no official recommendation for a move toward a vegan diet at this time, but there are signs of progress.