Canada's Dietary Guidelines

Canada's Dietary Guidelines for Health Professionals and Policy Makers

Section 1: Foundation for Healthy Eating

• Dietary choices form a person's eating pattern, which can lead to better or worse health outcomes.

• This section focuses on the regular intake of foods associated with positive health outcomes.

Guideline 1: Nutritious foods are the foundation for healthy eating

• Vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and protein foods should be consumed regularly.

  • Among protein foods, consume plant-based more often.

  • Protein foods include legumes, nuts, seeds, tofu, fortified soy beverage, fish, shellfish, eggs, poultry, lean red meat including wild game, lower fat milk, lower fat yogurts, lower fat kefir, and cheeses lower in fat and sodium.

• Foods that contain mostly unsaturated fat should replace foods that contain mostly saturated fat.

• Water should be the beverage of choice.

Rationale for Guideline 1

• Health Canada recommends regular intake of nutritious foods that are commonly found in patterns of eating linked with beneficial effects on health.

• These patterns have been shown to have a protective effect in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

• Dietary risks include low intake of nutritious foods like vegetables and fruit.

• Guideline 1 emphasizes more plant-based foods because patterns of eating that emphasize plant-based foods typically result in higher intakes of dietary fiber, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and soy protein.

• Shifting intakes towards more plant-based foods could also encourage lower intakes of processed meat and foods that contain mostly saturated fat.

• Patterns of eating that include animal-based foods should emphasize more plant-based foods and promote animal-based foods that are lower in saturated fat.
  *Nutritious foods should not contribute to excess consumption of sodium, free sugars, or saturated fat.

Rationale for Replacing Saturated Fat with Unsaturated Fat

• Health Canada recommends replacing foods that contain mostly saturated fat with foods that contain mostly unsaturated fat to promote cardiovascular health.

• The type of fat consumed over time is more important than the total amount of fat consumed.

• Lowering the intake of saturated fat by replacing it with unsaturated fat decreases total and LDL-cholesterol.

• Replacing saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat can also lower the risk of cardiovascular disease.

• Limiting intake of foods high in saturated fat and choosing foods high in unsaturated fat is a common feature of patterns with beneficial health effects.

Rationale for Choosing Water

• Health Canada recommends water as the beverage of choice to support health and promote hydration without adding calories to the diet.

• Water is vital for life and is essential for metabolic and digestive processes.

• Adequate water intake includes water from beverages and foods.

• Some foods and beverages contribute to water intake but can also contribute sodium, free sugars, or saturated fat to the diet.

• Factors such as physical activity and hot climates can increase total water requirements.

• Those most at risk of dehydration are young children and older adults.

• Indigenous Peoples in remote communities may face limited access to safe drinking water; Drinking Water Advisories (DWAs) are issued to protect the public from potentially unsafe drinking water.

Considerations for Nutritious Foods

Nutritious foods to encourage

• Nutritious foods to consume regularly can be fresh, frozen, canned, or dried.

• Should have little to no added sodium and saturated fat, and little to no free sugars.

• Dried fruit should only be consumed with meals due to its stickiness and potential to contribute to dental decay.

Cultural preferences and food traditions

• Nutritious foods can reflect cultural preferences and food traditions.

• Eating with others can bring enjoyment to healthy eating and foster connections between generations and cultures.

• Traditional food improves diet quality among Indigenous Peoples and are linked to culture, identity, and overall health.

  • Examples of traditional foods: land mammals, sea mammals, fish, shellfish, birds, berries, vegetables, beans, nuts and wild plants.

  • Regional environmental risks should be considered; refer to local governments for up-to-date information, including consumption advisories about locally harvested food.

  • The First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study provides additional data on traditional food consumption and contaminants.

Energy balance

• Energy needs are individual and depend on factors such as genetics, age, sex, body size, body composition, and level of physical activity.

• Eat enough nutritious food to support nutritional health, growth, and development, while avoiding overconsumption and maintaining a healthy weight.

• Overconsuming calorie-containing foods or beverages can lead to excess energy intake and unhealthy weights.

• Restricting intakes of nutritious foods can have significant and lasting impacts on health.

• Monitoring of weight status by a health professional can be used as a way to assess unhealthy weights.

Physical activity

• Children and youth should achieve high levels of physical activity (at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day) and low levels of sedentary behaviour, as well as sufficient sleep.

• Adults and older adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more.

• The Canadian 24-Hour Movement & Activity Guidelines give more guidance on physical activity.

Fad diets

• Some fad diets can be restrictive and pose nutritional risks, particularly when many nutritious foods are eliminated from the diet.

• A healthy diet should provide sufficient energy to promote a healthy body weight, while minimizing the risk of having too much or too little of any particular nutrient.

• It should also allow for personal food preferences, which can reinforce the enjoyment of healthy eating.

Environmental impact

• Potential environmental benefits to improving current patterns of eating as outlined in this report.

• There is evidence supporting a lesser environmental impact of patterns of eating higher in plant-based foods and lower in animal-based foods (helps to conserve soil, water and air).

• The way our food is produced, processed, distributed, and consumed (including food loss and waste) can also have environmental implications.

• Reducing food waste can help make better use of natural resources and lower greenhouse gas emissions; raising awareness about the importance of reduced food waste is a necessary first step.

• Assessing and measuring the environmental impact of food choices can be complex and challenging.

Section 2: Foods and Beverages That Undermine Healthy Eating

• Processed foods and beverages can negatively impact health when regular consumption contributes to excess sodium, free sugars, or saturated fat.

• Prepared foods and beverages from restaurants and home can also contribute to these excesses.

• The focus should be on what people consume on a regular basis.

Guideline 2: Processed or prepared foods and beverages that contribute to excess sodium, free sugars, or saturated fat undermine healthy eating and should not be consumed regularly

Rationale for Guideline 2

• The term ‘highly processed products’ is used to describe processed or prepared foods and beverages that contribute to excess sodium, free sugars, or saturated fat when consumed on a regular basis.

• Availability and consumption of highly processed products has increased significantly, linked to a rise in obesity rates.

• Taking action to reduce the intake of these highly processed products can help reduce important risk factors for chronic disease.

• Sodium, free sugars and saturated fat are considered nutrients of concern.

• Higher sodium intake is associated with higher blood pressure and cardiovascular disease risk.

• Free sugars have been associated with a higher risk of dental decay in children and an increased risk of weight gain, overweight and obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

• To help reduce the intake of free sugars, the majority of total sugars intake should come from nutritious foods.

• Lower intakes of foods that contain mostly saturated fat helps lowers cardiovascular risk factors.
  *Total sugars account for all sugars present in foods and beverages regardless of the source. This includes added, free, as well as the naturally occurring sources of sugars found in intact or cut fruit and vegetables, and unsweetened milk.

Considerations for Sugary Drinks, Confectioneries, and Sugar Substitutes

Sugary drinks and confectioneries

• Should not be consumed regularly.

• Sugary drinks are beverages contributing to excess free sugars (e.g., soft drinks, 100% fruit juice, sweetened milks).

• Confectioneries include sweets such as candies, candy bars, fruit leathers, chocolate etc. that provide high amounts of free sugars with little to no nutritive value.

• Promoting water consumption instead of sugary drinks and reducing confectionery intake can decrease free sugars intake and reduce the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and dental decay.

Sugar substitutes

• Do not need to be consumed to reduce the intake of free sugars.

• Foods and beverages sweetened with sugar substitutes should not be promoted over unsweetened, nutritious options because there are no well-established health benefits.

Alcohol

• There are health risks associated with alcohol consumption.

• Alcoholic beverages can contribute a lot of calories to the diet with little to no nutrition.

• When mixed with syrups/sugary drinks/cream-based liquors = significant source of sodium, free sugars or saturated fat.

• Substantial disease burden attributed to alcohol intake is a leading global health concern.

Section 3: Importance of Food Skills

• Promotion of food skills as a component of food literacy = essential part of strategies aimed at supporting life-long healthy eating habits.

Guideline 3: Food skills are needed to navigate the complex food environment and support healthy eating

• Cooking and food preparation using nutritious foods should be promoted as a practical way to support healthy eating.

• Food labels should be promoted as a tool to help Canadians make informed food choices.

Rationale for Cooking and Food Preparation

• Health Canada recommends cooking and preparing healthy meals and snacks using nutritious foods as a practical way to support healthy eating.

• Transformed food environment over last few decades = changes in patterns of eating. Other factors have also led to a reliance on highly processed products.

• Canadian households have significantly increased the proportion of their food budget spent on highly processed products.

• Fewer Canadians are making meals from basic ingredients, and many are reliant on highly processed products that require fewer or different food skills.

• Cooking and preparing food at home can help support healthy eating.

  • Reduction in highly processed products purchased and consumed by cooking meals using ingredients lower in sodium, free sugars, or saturated fat.

Rationale for Promoting Food Labels

• Food labels provide a prominent source of nutrition information for Canadians.

• This information can be used to make informed food choices, plan nutritious meals, and manage chronic diseases.

• Nutrition information on food labels is a highly credible source of information consumers report using when making food choices.

• Canadians can:

  • Learn about a food’s nutritional value

  • Compare the nutritional content of food products

  • Better manage special dietary needs.

• When Canadians use information on the food label, it can help them make healthier food choices, reduce the intake of sodium, free sugars and saturated fat from overall diet to reduce risk factors for chronic disease.

Considerations for Food Skills and Food Literacy

Food skills are important life skills

• A person with food skills has the information, abilities, and practices to acquire nutritious foods and prepare meals and snacks that are safe, nutritious, and culturally acceptable.

• Food skills can help to build a person’s understanding of the food supply or where foods come from and might support a mindful approach to eating.

• Building a basic level of food skills can contribute to improved food choices and eating behaviours at any age.

• What food skills include:

  • Knowledge

  • Skills in using the senses

  • Planning skills

  • Technical skills

Food literacy includes food skills and the broader environmental context

• Food skills are a component of food literacy and are interrelated with social environments, physical environments and other determinants of health.

• All sectors of society should strive to support people of all backgrounds to adopt healthy eating practices and prepare nutritious foods.

• Food literacy also means considering social, cultural, economic and physical factors related to food.

Cultural food practices

• Should be celebrated because they influence how food skills are learned and shared, and reflect diverse cultural backgrounds/food traditions in Canada.

Food skills should be considered within the social, cultural, and historical context of Indigenous Peoples

• Efforts to build these skills should recognize unique histories, circumstances, and aspirations of Indigenous Peoples of Canada + create opportunities for intergenerational knowledge sharing and cultural strengths for healthier future.

• These efforts can lead to improved diet quality + help foster self-determination and revitalized cultural identity.

Food Skills and Opportunities to Learn and Share

• Can be taught, learned, and shared in a variety of settings: at home, in daycares, at school, in community centres, in the garden, out on the land + proper food handling methods should be taught as well.

• Transferring can build self-confidence + self efficacy and provide a feeling of accomplishment (encourage young children to try new foods).

Food Skills and Food Waste

• Food skills may help decrease household food waste. Canadians can:

  • Develop skills related to meal planning

  • Storing perishable foods properly

  • Using up left overs

Section 4: Implementation of Dietary Guidelines

• Understanding and acting on barriers that make it challenging for Canadians to make healthy food choices is essential for successful implementation of these guidelines.

• Decisions affected by aspects of social and physical environments.

  • Household income

  • Food skills

  • Government food policies

• The health sector works at federal, provincial, territorial, and regional levels to build understanding of nutrition issues and foster inter-sectoral approaches.

• Health charities + professional regulatory bodies/associations efforts help reduce of chronic disease and promote health, governments support to dietary guidelines.

• All sectors have a role to play for Canada’s Dietary Guidelines to have far-reaching and longstanding effects on the nutritional health of Canadians.

Collective Action

• Healthy eating requires nutritious foods be available and accessible (varies within and between population groups) = dietaryguidelines contribute to advancing health equity + ensuring it does not make inequities worse.

• Action on the determinants of health and reducing health inequities is required to help Canadians make healthy food choicesaligned.
  *Certain populations face increase risk of poor dietary intakes (Indigenous Peoples living on low incomes, rural areas, and newcomers).

Determinants of Heatlh

*Can impact eating = identifying barriers to accessibility/availability of nutritious foods (help identify effective interventions to promote supportive environments).

Food insecurity

• More common among indigenous households (higher among Indigenous children vs. non + pronounced in northern, remote & isolated communities). Food is scarce for these communities.