Canada’s Food Guide: A Nutrition Handbook

Starting as early as 1942, Canada’s Food Guides have been part of our society working towards improving Canadians Health and Wellness. As the years went on our food guide has taken different directions to reflect the changes. In 2019, one of the biggest changes to that food guide format have occurred. No longer, is Health Canada recommending serving sizes and quantities. Canadians are now encouraged to look at their plate and seek balance in their foods. Gone are the days of dairy, meat, and bread being specific dietary requirements. The emphasis has moved towards plant-based alternatives being embraced as part of the protein and whole grain portion of our plates – which should now be 50% whole fruit and vegetables. Other big changes to the guide include the new emphasis on meal-time and not just the foods. Health Canada has acknowledged that “Healthy eating is more than the foods you eat”.  They are actively encouraging people to be mindful of eating habits, cook more often, enjoy your food, and eat with your family or friends. A) Study it’s content, and search through all the main elements of the homepage and its related links. -Why did Health Canada choose to focus on protein rather than dairy and meat? -What are key things on this guide that parents should take note of? -With a big emphasis on whole foods, How can Canadians get even healthier? - Read more about which foods are “Brain Food”.  How can these foods be incorporated into a healthy diet? -Provide advice to another person who may have a special dietary restriction, such as Gluten Free, or Dairy Free, or Vegan. Explain to them how they can balance their dietary needs and still receive the proper nutrients they require as a result of their dietary restrictions. B) Develop a 5 Page Nutrition Handbook that anybody can use to guide their daily eating habits. The handbook should include suggestions for appropriate serving sizes. Make sure it is well balanced and follows all components of Canada’s Food Guide. Make sure you include daily food intake and nutritional value and calorie count. 11 PAI 3OP ACTIVITY #1 - Categories of Physical Fitness & Components of Health ACTIVITY #2 - Canada’s Food Guide: A Nutrition Handbook C) Include a summary of Canada’s Food Guide and demonstrate your plans / goals for meeting these requirements. D) Include a page that explains food issues that could affect our eating. Identify issues that can have an effect on our food choices and how one can get around these obstacles. E) Your handbook should also include a section that covers issues such as ( Pesticide use / GMO foods / Food marketing / Food packaging and waste ). Explain your views on some of these issues and how you plan on dealing with them. F) Your handbook should also include suggestions and tips to look for when reading food labels, as well as suggestions to make food preparation at home easier and more nutritious. Also include suggestions for following a more nutritious balanced diet when “eating out”. Strive to create a handbook in a report style format. Attempt to make it informative, creative and showcases the foods that best supports you as a student athlete fueling to perform your best in your sport. You can hand in a hard copy of your report or email it to your teacher. G) When your handbook is complete, visit Canada's Food Guide main web page and complete the My Food Guide section. This section is an interactive tool that customizes Canada's Food Guide just for you. It helps you:  learn how many Food Guide Servings you need to eat from each of the four food groups  choose your favourite types of foods from each food group  see how much food is in one Food Guide Serving  choose physical activities you enjoy Creating your personalized guide takes about five minutes. You can then print it and stick it on your fridge for quick and easy reference!