Friday, May 30, 2008

Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Living





Canada’s food guide gives many helpful recommendations, for example:









Plan your meals. This will help you eat well by varying your food choices. It will save time grocery shopping if you plan ahead. Planning your meals will also get your food on the table faster with less stress.



  • Satisfy your thirst with water. Water has absolutely no calories in it and it quenches your thirst better then any other drink.


  • Eat at least 1 dark green and 1 orange vegetable a day.


  • Have your fruits and vegetables with no added fat, sugar or salt. Instead of deep frying them have them steamed, baked, or in stir-fry.


  • Make half your grains each day whole grains. For example: barely, brown rice, oats, quinoa, wild rice, oatmeal, whole wheat pasta, etc.


  • Choose grains that are low in fat, sugar, salt. Do this by comparing labels. Use small amount of sauces if any.


  • Drink 500mL of milk every day. It is an excellent source of vitamin D.


  • Eat meat alternatives with little or no added fat and salt. Trim off the fat. Use cooking methods such as roasting, baking or poaching that require little or no added fat.


  • GET ACTIVE! Adults should get at least 30 to 60 minutes of physical exercise everyday. Children should get at least 90 minutes a day.

    According to the Canada’s Food Guide for Healthy Living there are some foods that should be eaten in large quantities and some foods that should be eaten in smaller quantities over the day. Fruits, vegetables, and grains should all be eaten in larger quantities through out the day. The average 16 year old girl should have at least 7 servings of fruits and vegetables each day. She should have 6-7 servings of grain each day as well. Milk and alternatives, and meats and alternatives should be eaten in a bit smaller quantities through out the day. The average 16 year old girl should have about 3-4 servings of milk and alternatives and 2 servings of meat and alternatives each day.



On a typical day I might eat:
Breakfast: 1 bowl of cereal
Snack: banana, candy
Lunch: bagel with cream cheese
Snack: cookies
Dinner: 2 slices of pizza
Snack: Chips, cereal





  • After scoring my self on the Healthy Eating Score Card I realized in that day I only ate 4 servings of grain, 1 serving of fruits and vegetables (so not enough!!), 3 servings of milk, and 2 meat servings. I looked at how much I should be eating and this is not very close. I am not eating healthy enough. If I would have followed the food guide I would have ate more healthy foods and the right amounts of these foods.



    After scoring myself on the Healthy Eating score I researched what a typical daily diet of an Italian person would be:

    Breakfast: Varies. Usually warm milk or coffee and cereal or cookies.
    Lunch: Broken down into three courses.First course: pasta, ravioli or riceSecond course: Meat, seafood or cheese or salami or ham with bread rollThird course: Fruits and or dessert.*Dinner: Broken down into three courses as wellFirst course: Soup(vegetable soup, ravioli soup, macaroni soup)Second course: Cheese or salami or ham with bread rollThird course: Fruits and or dessert
    After scoring this on a Healthy Eating Score Card I found out that they have about 5 servings of grains, 3 servings of fruits and vegetables, 4 servings of milk and alternatives, and about 3 servings of meat.

    Comparing my diet to this Italian diet I realized how much better they eat then I do. This could greatly impact our community when it comes to health and wellness. If most Canadians eat unhealthy and don’t follow the food guide properly they will become unhealthy, unfit, and may become obese. Other countries outside of North America that eat healthy and follow a food guide will be more fit, and healthy then us. I believe that if everyone followed the food guide the rate of obesity in Canada would decrease dramatically. Especially if everyone followed the food guides recommendations, for example how it recommends physical exercise everyday. If everyone did this everyone would be more healthy and fit.

4 comments:

goldfish said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jess said...

Jenna,
I agree with you that the Canada's Food Guide is a great choice for many or all people. It is important for people to understand to learn to eat healthy, stay active and this is a perfect example of how to manage your healthy food choices. Some people do not know how to eat healthy and don't know what is good for them to eat to maintain a healthy diet.
Obesity is a really big issue that comes across a lot when talking about a healthy diet because some people aren't following a healthy diet and this is for the people so they have an easy way to organize and plan meals daily to become healthier and a better chance of a happier and longer life. I am surprised you didn't mention anything about obesity in this blog and I am sure if you mentioned about how obesity is a big issue in kids (especially ages 16 and under) people would listen more and keep a healthy diet.
Obesity is the reason that the average life span is decreasing as the decades go on because the obesity levels are increasing by the toxins in food that clog arteries and cause health problems and diseases. We can return the average life span to when it was at it's best by following the Canadian Food Guide and by keeping regular activity. Eating healthy and taking care of your body is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and can help you live your life to it's full potential!

♥Jess

Anonymous said...

By reading both of your comments, I have decide that the school should only serve HEALTHY FOOD. it is their responcablity to do that for us. I do not know why they dont all ready. Being at an age where the food we eat effects us in everyway for our future they should make sure we keep on a strait and narrow path. If we get in the habbit of eating properly then we just might not have as many health problems. =(

Ms F said...

Interesting...
As teachers we have broached this subject before at staff meetings... Apparently the company that supplies the food says that you students will not eat healthy and that they are trying to integrate healthy options each day with out fries and pizza (like mexican fries!?!?!?). A few students have purchased these choices.... I think if they never made fries an option you guys would either bring stuff from home or eat healthier... but who listens to me?