The new Canada’s food guide is now more than ‘just about the food we eat’ and I feel it deserves some respect for the progress that it has made.

The food guide has come a long way since it was last updated and personally, I’m pleased with the changes and hopeful that even more positive changes will continue to be made.

Historically, Canada’s Food Guide was heavily influenced by the Industry Lobby and was something that many nutritionists (including myself) felt we had to work against.

Now with the recent changes to the food guide, it feels like we’re getting much closer to being on the same page.

Previously, our food guides haven’t done a whole lot to improve eating behaviour.

Our Country is eating more junk food and processed foods than ever, and our food guide didn’t help with that.

Canada’s new food guide was just released last week, and it’s different than any of its previous versions.

I feel there is still progress to be made, including more of an emphasis on healthy fats, since they are essential to our health and well being, so I encourage you to always do your own research and empower yourself and your family with education.  

That being said, these are the changes that I'm pleased to see in Canada’s new Food Guide:

1. They listened to feedback and had the right objective

• With this new food guide, Health Canada took feedback from citizens and used it to create the new version. 
• They put citizens over industry profits. As a nutrition professional, who is also Canadian, it’s refreshing that the food industry was not invited to the table to shape Canada’s new food guide. I believe that a lot of the food industry will be very upset about this, however, I’m happy to see that the government put the health of Canadians first. 
• These changes will affect our schools and hospitals. I'm hopeful to see the changes over the next few years, where the recommended beverage of choice will now be water, instead of juice or chocolate milk (both of which are known to promote tooth decay and contribute to diabetes).

2. It includes help with changing eating behaviours
There are many other factors that we know affect people’s food choices and the new food guide offers helpful tips that were previously not included.

Things like the following healthy eating habits:

• Be mindful of your eating habits
• Cook more often
• Enjoy your food
• Eat meals with others
• Use food labels
• Limit foods high in sugars, sodium, and saturated fat
• Be aware of food marketing

These are all things that us nutritional professionals teach on a regular basis, so it’s so nice to see our country’s food guide now reinforcing what we’ve been teaching for years.  

3. It is simpler and more practical to implement
The new guide focuses on an overall healthier pattern of eating, instead of specific servings (this is easier for us since we don’t carry around measuring cups with us.)

The new focus is so simple. It says at meals to aim for:

50% fruit/vegetable,
25% whole grains, and
25% protein (dairy, meat, and alternatives)

* As a personal note, I would really like to see an emphasis on healthy fats, which right now, are only touched on when you tab to the second page.

They’ve also included a “Tips” button which includes helpful topics such as:

1. Meal planning, cooking and healthy choices
2. Healthy eating anywhere
3. Life stages

I have a question for you. Do you feel it will be challenging for you to aim for half of your plate being fruits and vegetables?

Do you know that only 1% of North Americans are eating the required fruits and veggies each day that are required for healthy living?

As always, I would love to hear your comments. Let me know what you think about the new food guide!

Until next time,

​May Anne
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I know how difficult it can be to make both healthy and delicious meals after working all day, and I know what it’s like to fight against the temptation to throw a box of frozen pizza in the oven with a pre-bought container of macaroni salad on the side.

That’s why convenience foods are so popular, because they’re convenient. They’re easy, when our lives are so busy.

The problem is, the main purpose of convenience foods is just that - convenience.

Not nutrition.

​(Don't feel like reading? No worries, I've got you covered. The video above covers everything in this post! Just click play on the video to listen.)

Convenience foods are highly processed, which means, most of the good stuff is removed and cheap fillers and preservatives are added.

The majority of the time, artificial flavours and colours are also added to make it look nice, not to mention the pile of sugar that is added to pretty much everything.

These chemicals are really difficult on our digestive system and can wreak havoc on our bodies when they’re used long-term.

A convenience meal here and there isn’t going to hurt, when it’s just a one-off type of thing, but in the long run, relying on these types of foods too often will have a negative impact on our health and the health of our families.  

That being said, I also know that without proper planning, it’s difficult to have consistent delicious, healthy meals. Planning ahead is the key here.

I’d like to share some of my favourite tips with you that have saved me from take-out many
times, and I would love to hear your tips too! Please share them in the comments below.

1. Use your crockpot and find recipes that don’t require any precooking or majorprep work. Pinterest can be your best friend for this. Prepare as much as you can the night before and throw everything into the crockpot and store it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, put your slow cooker on and you’ll come home to a delicious smelling house and a fresh cooked meal. If you make extra, you will have leftovers to either use for lunches the next day or to use for dinner another night that week. I love leftovers for this reason.
2. Prepare extra food on the weekends. Consider foods that can be combined into different meals throughout the week. Cook up some ground turkey or beef. Roast a chicken and cook up some quinoa or brown rice. Preparing extra food ahead of time can make life easier because you just have to throw these pre-cooked foods into recipes for quick and healthy meals.
3. Double or triple recipes. Remember when I said I love left-overs? This is my all-time favourite technique for saving time on busy nights. It works great for things like chilis, casseroles, stews, pasta dishes and soups. If you don’t want to have it again that week, you can place portions into containers for the freezer, and pull them out on those nights you that you don’t feel like cooking. Having the leftovers in the right sized container means you can grab them to take with you for your lunch as well.
4. Have breakfast for supper. Eggs are such a versatile food and can be used in any meal. I’ve served omelettes for supper many times when I’ve been short on time. Chop up some fresh veggies and some feta or goats cheese, maybe a little bit of salsa, and you’ve got a quick and healthy meal. Dinner doesn’t have to be fancy to be healthy and delicious.
5. Cut your veggies up ahead of time and keep them in a sealed container in the fridge. That way, they’re also available as a quick and healthy snack during the week.

There you have it - 5 of my favourite tips for making evening meals easier and healthier when life is busy enough, and when you don’t want to keep reaching for convenience foods that are void of the nutrition that you and your family need to stay healthy and strong.

Please add any of your own personal favourite tips into the comments below so you can share them with the rest of us!

May Anne xo

​P.S. If you really want to eat healthier, but aren't quite sure what that looks like or don't know where to start, contact me HERE for a complimentary 30 minute Discovery call, so you can see what it would be like to work with me.