Canada published the first Healthy Eating Guide in 1942. In 1992, the guide received a major revision, which included updated information on nutritional needs. The revision also addressed modern eating habits and patterns. There were other revisions throughout the years, but the next major change was introduced in 2007. Many of the changes were made to address obesity problems, as well as to provide information on how to make food substitutions and eat healthier.
Set Up
Canada's Food Guide is set up as a rainbow instead of a pyramid as in the United States. The rainbow has four basic colors: green, yellow, blue and red. The green color represents fruits and vegetables and is the widest band in the rainbow. The thinnest band is red, which represents meats and meat alternatives. Grain products in yellow and dairy products in blue are the two bands in the middle.
Food Groups
Canada's Health Guide recommends between four and 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Adult males get the highest number of servings, while children get the smaller numbers. Servings for grains vary between three and eight servings per day. This is quite a difference with the U.S. recommendations of up to 11 servings per day. Servings for dairy products or dairy alternatives are between two and four. Meats and meat alternatives get the smallest amount of servings. Young girls under 13 should eat only one serving per day. Adult males can have up to three servings.
Other Recommendations
The Healthy Eating Guide includes specific recommendations on eating during pregnancy and eating when you have a food allergy. There are also sections on how to read nutrition labels, regulations regarding the sale of bottled water and maintaining healthy habits. The guide also addresses exercise and offers a servings tracker, so you can keep track of how many servings of food you're eating from each group. There is a link in the Resources section.
Canada vs. USA Food Guides
Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating has both similarities and differences to the U.S. food pyramid. They differ mainly in the distribution of servings among food groups. For example, the U.S. recommends a minimum of six servings of grains, while Canada's Healthy Eating Guide starts at three. In the United States, fruits and vegetables are separate groups, while they're part of the same group in Canada's Food Guide.
References
- Health Canada: Canada's Food Guide
- Government of Alberta: Eating Well With Canada's Food Guide: Your Blueprint for Eating Well
- Government of Saskatchewan: Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating
- Health Canada: How Much Food You Need Every Day
- Lifeclinic: Food Guide Pyramid
- Health Canada: History of the Food Guide
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