Why Vintage Fitness Loves the Changes to Canada's Food Guide

Health Canada has recently updated our food guide.  They have done a great job visually showing you what your plate should look like for optimal health and decrease our dependency on dairy and meat. Our first food guide in Canada was produced in 1942 and highlighted poor access to food, no money for food and malnutrition in 2019 our issues are too much sugary processed food and not enough exercise!
 
Based the eating habits of many of our personal training clients that I have noticed over the last 13 years here are my top tips to incorporate the new food guide.

1. Drink more water:  Many older adults are dehydrated as often thirst decreases with age.  Drink 6-8 glasses of water a day to keep your bowels moving, reduce headaches, improve the look of your skin and lose weight.
2. Eat less meat: The new guide has moved away from portion sizes and moved to splitting your plate to show that only 25% of your plate should have a protein source and plant based proteins should be there.  Here are some ideas to include more plant protein from Health Canada’s website:
   
   Here are some easy ways to eat more protein foods that come from plants:
   • Add soft tofu to a blended soup to make it thicker and creamier.
   • Try a bean salad, lentil and rice pilaf or a bowl of vegetarian chili for lunch.
   • Make your own trail mix by combining your favourite whole grain cereal with a handful of nuts and seeds.
   • Spread hummus on the inside of a whole grain pita and fill with vegetables such as romaine lettuce and shredded carrots.

Each week, plan a couple of meatless meals. As your main course, try using:

1. • beans in a burrito
   • tofu in a vegetable stir-fry
   • chickpeas and beans in tacos
   • lentils in a soup, stew or casserole

source: https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/healthy-eating-recommendations/make-it-a-habit-to-eat-vegetables-fruit-whole-grains-and-protein-foods/eat-protein-foods/

3. Try mindful eating: We live so much of our lives on autopilot, our minds racing on thoughts that we probably have stewed over already.  I don’t expect you to sit cross-legged and chant while you eat but slow down, taste and enjoy your food.
4. Eat the rainbow of fruits and vegetables: Notice how many bright colours and on the new health Canada food guide plate.  We are all habitual creates and have favorite fruits and vegetables that we eat every day.  Try new options this week and make sure to include the deep colourful vegetables which tend to have lots of nutrients in them.

Link to video about Canadas new food guide:
https://globalnews.ca/video/4876673/canadas-revised-food-guide-removes-four-food-groups