It was a big day in the Canadian world of food yesterday as Health Canada released the highly awaited changes to Canada’s Food Guide. This document that has been referenced as the quintessential guide for food education and meal preparation in this country finally received a much-needed update.
The Food Guide which hadn’t been updated in 12 years has been criticized for not keeping up with the times and being hard to follow and one could even argue that its food categorization was alienating culturally.
I by no means consider myself a nutritionist or dietician but as a passionate foodie and above-all a mother I have been closely following these developments and commend the changes that have been made.
It makes me so happy to see this new guide focusing on eating well as part of living well. In my opinion, it brings us back to what used to be the basics; cooking at home, cooking together, eating together and being mindful of what is on our plates and how it got there.
These ideas are not new or revolutionary by any means, in fact these recommendations were part of my upbringing. I have always attributed my love and passion for food to the fact that from an early age, I was in the kitchen, at my father’s side, watching and helping with preparation of the meals that we would then sit down as a family and enjoy.
Somewhere along the way, life and that pace at which we live it, changed. Commitments and stresses multiplied taking away from family time and giving way to a new normal, one that seems to have put gathering around the table to enjoy healthy meals on the backburner. Convenience became king creating less than healthy lifestyles that have greatly contributed to increasing risk of many chronic diseases. The revised guide is a great step in the right direction at bringing healthy eating habits back to the forefront.
As a mother and someone who has also been responsible for the meal preparation of young children, I have always advocated for food education. One of the best ways I know how to do this has been by involving them in the many facets of food; from planting and growing food, to grocery shopping to help with preparation and cooking. These same ideas are expressed in the new guide and it’s wonderful to see the statement that healthy eating is more than the foods you eat.
I will continue to keep myself abreast of the changes to the guide and how they are rolled out, but in the interim I am content in the knowledge that it is laying out a better foundation for nutrition. Buon Appetito!
The new food guide along with resources and recipes can be found on Health Canada
