As it stands, there is no date set just yet but it has been confirmed that Canada is set to update their food guide. From everything we've read, it sounds like the updated food guide will be released sometime this year. What's different? As it sounds, from all the data and articles we could read, the new guide will be recommending fewer animal products, particularly dairy, and more plant-based products and whole grains. Hasan Hutchinson, director general of nutritional policy and promotion at Health Canada, said that the goal was to base the recommendations on the best available evidence recognized by international organizations. Hutchinson also said that his department is not saying that animal products aren't nutritious, stating the new guide will continue to recommend low-fat dairy, cheese, yogurt and leaner cuts of meat and poultry. The purpose of this podcast is to discuss these changes and give our rationale for what we think, and what we would recommend. What we covered:
- The purpose of nutrition and what our body genetically expects from an evolutionary perspective. We've known about macro and micro-nutrients from some time now, so this isn't rocket science. This is important because to answer the question, what should I eat, you need to understand why eating is a value and how your body works.
- A conversation about whether or not the current food guide helps us, as humans, meet our nutritional requirements.
- A discussion about whether or not these proposed changes are in the right direction, keeping in context that we don't know exactly what all the changes will be.