The New Canada’s Food Guide Is Here!

Margaret Hudson
Présidente et directrice générale des Fermes Burnbrae
4^e génération d'agriculteurs

We at Burnbrae Farms were pleased with the new Canada’s Food Guide. Introduced on January 22, 2019, the new guide features a plate of food rather than the old “rainbow” image of four food groups. Health Canada spokespeople explained in a press conference that the old pattern of choosing specific types and amounts of food was too confusing for many Canadians. Instead, the main visual of the new guide is a simple plate model, which recommends vegetables, fruit, whole grains and protein at every meal, to be accompanied by water (and check out that beauty shot of eggs on the plate!). This pattern of eating is simpler to understand, and leaves room for a wider variety of cultural foods and special diets.

But the new guide is so much more than this one image. It’s a suite of online resources at https://food-guide.canada.ca/en , which is meant to encourage a healthy pattern of eating. In addition to providing guidance on what we should eat, the new guidelines also look at how we eat, and offers insights about cooking more often, eating with others and being mindful of your eating habits. It also includes many healthy recipes , including some great egg dishes, such as:

· Good morning egg roll–up

· Eat your greens frittata

· Open-face egg salad sandwiches

I love the inclusion of the ‘how’ side of eating because I’ve always said that cooking meals at home and sharing meals with others are definitely vital parts of healthy eating!

The emphasis on the new eating pattern is to choose more whole foods and limit intake of ultra-processed foods. This will help Canadians reduce their intake of sugar, salt and saturated fat, which are linked to chronic health conditions when consumed in excess. Eggs are a whole food, and fit in perfectly.

In fact, we love how eggs are represented in the new Guide. The visual above shows eggs correctly placed in the ‘protein’ group. The old guide’s “meat and alternatives” and “milk and alternatives” food groups have been amalgamated into one “protein” group. This will help cut down on consumer confusion. It’s a win for Canadians! Hard-boiled eggs are recommended as a “ snacking idea ” too!

The Big Picture

Unlike past dietary guidance, this new food guide has a greater emphasis on the big picture, from cooking to food literacy to being aware of how food marketing affects purchase habits. There’s also a clear consideration of how food and environment are interrelated, and Canadians are being made aware of food waste issues.

Food is more than what we eat, and this high-level guide draws all of the important points together. The affordability and accessibility of food are considered, as is more emphasis on culture and tradition.

The cool thing about eggs in the diet is that they check so many boxes. They are a whole food, and an affordable source of high-quality protein for Canadians at all stages of life. They also make a perfect quarter-plate accompaniment to the half-plate you fill with vegetables and fruit. Tucked beside a salad or cooked together with vegetables in a quiche or omelette, eggs make sense on the plates of healthy Canadians.

Margaret Hudson

President, Burnbrae Farms