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New food guide big on fruit and vegetables

By Laura Priestley

Published 12:42 PDT, Fri August 30, 2019

Canada’s new food guide has a lot to offer families with children preparing to return to school.

Canada’s new food guide has a lot to offer families with children preparing to return to school. 

The website food-guide.canada.ca has many resources available to download including recipes, tips on eating habits and food choices, as well as how to cook with your family. How to maintain eating healthy throughout different stages of life and at different locations, such as work and school, is also included. 

Canada’s new food guide offers a visual representation of what you eat, says Anne Swann, a public health dietitian at Vancouver Coastal Health.

“At a glance, someone gets the picture of how much of what they eat should be from each grouping of food,” she says.

Swann also recommends including a diverse range of colourful vegetables and fruits in your diet. 

The old food guide, dating back to 2007, featured specific serving sizes and numbers daily servings.

The new guide also recommends protein foods such as eggs, lean meats, nuts and seeds, fish and shellfish, lower fat dairy products, beans, peas and lentils, and fortified soy beverages. It encourages choosing protein foods that come from plants more often. And make water your drink of choice.

The guide also provides family-oriented tips that include:

• Eat meals together as a family as often as possible 
• Offer meals and snacks at regular times throughout the day; let your child decide how much to eat according to their level of hunger and taste preferences

• Get your kids involved in planning meals and snacks and making their own school lunches
• Cook together with your kids. 

On the food guide website, under Meal Planning, Cooking and Healthy Choices, you will find meal planning ideas and lots of tasty recipes, including school lunches and snacks that are oriented towards the whole family. Don’t label foods as good or bad, but rather as foods to eat more of or less. There are some foods you may offer less frequently or in smaller amounts.

Enjoy your food and the social aspects of eating and sharing meals with your friends and family. Start by setting some small, attainable and realistic goals such as eating more fruits and vegetables with lunch or including more plant-based sources of protein in your meals. Keep in mind that healthy and enjoyable eating is based on variety, balance and moderation.

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