Minister of Health Launches New Food Guide for Canada

The new Food Guide is an integral part of Canada's Healthy Eating Strategy, which aims to make the healthier choice the easier choice for all Canadians. Image: Marvorel, Pixabay

MONTREAL -- The Food Guide that many of us grew up with focused on food choices. But we now know that our eating habits are just as important to our health as the foods we choose. Busy Canadians want simple guidance that they can trust to help them make healthy food choices for themselves and their families.

Also read, Health Plus Desired Experience Key to Helping People Eat More Fruits and Veggies, New Research Finds.

In launching the new Canada's Food Guide yesterday, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, emphasized that healthy eating is about more than the foods Canadians eat.

"Healthy eating is more than the foods you eat. It's about your whole relationship with food. The new Food Guide gets to the heart of this relationship and gives Canadians concrete advice that they can follow to make healthy eating part of their day," said Ginette Petitpas Taylor Minister of Health.

The new Food Guide is an online suite of resources that better meets the needs of different users, including the general public, policy makers and health professionals. This includes mobile-friendly web content to encourage Canadians to eat healthy whenever and wherever they go.

"Healthy eating is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and helps prevent chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers. The new Canada's Food Guide not only encourages healthy eating for all Canadians, but also teaches us that healthy eating is more than the foods we eat – it includes such important aspects as sharing meals with others, cooking more often and eating mindfully," said Dr. Theresa Tam Chief Public Health Officer of Canada.

Canada's new dietary guidance includes concrete advice for Canadians on healthy food choices and healthy eating habits. This advice includes:

• eating plenty of vegetables and fruits,
• eating protein foods,
• choosing whole grain foods, and
• making water your drink of choice.

Healthy eating is more than the foods you eat. The Food Guide encourages Canadians to:

• cook more often,
• enjoy food,
• be mindful of eating habits, and
• eat meals with others.

Canada's Food Guide is intended for all Canadians. Health Canada is working to ensure that the revised Food Guide is inclusive of Indigenous Peoples, reflecting social, cultural and historical context. Additionally, Health Canada and Indigenous Services Canada are committed to working with First Nations, Inuit and Métis to support the development of distinctions-based healthy eating tools, as part of the revision process.

"Dietitians are passionate about the potential of food to enhance lives and improve health. We commend Health Canada on taking a broader approach to eating by providing evidence-based guidance on not only what to eat but how to eat. We are also pleased to see inclusion and consideration of traditional foods, cultural diversity and environmental sustainability. Health promotion is an essential pillar in food policy and the new Food Guide tools and resources will support the creation of healthier food environments for Canadians," said Nathalie Savoie CEO, Dietitians of Canada.

The new Food Guide is an integral part of Canada's Healthy Eating Strategy, which aims to make the healthier choice the easier choice for all Canadians.

SOURCE Health Canada