Canadian food Guide

to eat Well with the Canadian food Guide (2007) is a tool provided by the ministry of Canada Health of the Canadian government. It recommends to eat four groups of food: Cereal vegetables and fruits, Products, Milk and substitutes and Meats and substitutes.

Here the new recommendations (2007) of Canada Health. The number of daily portions is followed food group

LF: Vegetables and fruits

PC: Cereal products

LS: Milk and substitutes

VS: Meats and substitutes

Children, girls and boys:

2-3 years: 4 LF 3 PC 2 LS 1 VS

4-8 years: 5 LF 4 PC 2 LS 1 VS

9-13 years: 6 LF 6 PC 3-4 LS 1-2 VS

Teenagers, 14-18 years:

Girls: 7 LF 6 PC 3-4 LS 2 VS

Boys: 8 LF 7 PC 3-4 LS 3 VS

Adults:

19-50 years:

Women: 7-8 LF 6-7 PC 2 LS 2 VS

Men: 8-10 LF 8 PC 2 LS 3 VS

51 years and +:

Women: 7 LF 6 PC 3 LS 2 VS

Men: 7 LF 7 PC 3 LS 3 VS

Vegetables and fruits:

A portion of this group corresponds to 125 ml of fresh vegetables, frozen or preserves some, 125 ml of cooked leafy vegetables or 250 believed ml, 1 average fruit or 125 ml of fresh, frozen fruits or preserve some or 125 ml of juice at 100% pure.

Cereal products:

A portion of this group corresponds to a bread section, a half-bagel, a half flat bread (pita or twisted), 125 ml of Rice, boulgour or quinoa cooked, cold cereal 30g or 175 ml heats or 125 ml of pasta products or cooked couscous.

Milk and substitutes:

A portion of this group corresponds to 250 ml of milk or dried milk reconstituted, 125 ml of preserved milk evaporated, 250 ml of soya drink enriched, 175 G (3/4 cup) of yoghourt, 175g (3/4 cup) to kéfir or cheese 50g.

Meats and substitutes:

A portion of this group corresponds to 75g of fish, seafood, poultries and lean meats cooked, 3/4 cooked leguminous plant cup, 3/4 cup of tofu, 2 eggs, 30 ml of nut or peanut butter or 60 ml of nut and shelled seeds.

Several other recommendations were also put forth by Santé Canada, inter alia:

- Consume from 30 to 45 ml of unsaturated lipids each day (plant oils with cooking, vinaigrette, margarine and mayonnaise). For example, the oils mentioned in the Guide are the oil of canola, olive and soya. One advises to choose weak soft margarines in saturated and trans lipids.

- To eat at least a dark green vegetable and an orange vegetable each day.

- To choose vegetables and fruits prepared with little or not of fat contents, sweetens or salt,

- To consume at least half of the portions of cereal products in the form of whole grains.

- To drink skimmed milk or 1-2% of fat contents rather than of full-cream milk (3,25% m.g.)

- To often consume substitutes of the meat (leguminous plants, tofu,…)

- To consume at least two fish portions each week

- To drink water according to thirst

The four food groups are complementary and noninterchangeable, i.e one should not evacuate a food group of its food under penalty of exposing itself to a possibility of deficiency (S) in vitamins, minerals or nutrients essential. As example, the group of Vegetables and fruits are the only food group to get in sufficient quantity the vitamin C. a deficiency in this vitamin causes the scurvy. The group of Milk and substitutes is the only group to get vitamin D and calcium (the Canadian dairy products and their substitutes are obligatorily nouveau riches in vitamin D to prevent deficiencies).

To eat well with the Canadian food Guide is simple educational tools very much used by the health professionals. It is based on scientific studies of which Nutritional Contributions of Reference (ANREF). Its objectives are inter alia filling the nutritional requirements in vitamins, nutritive minerals and other elements like reducing the risk of obesity, of diabetes of the type 2, of diseases of the heart, certain types of cancer and osteoporosis.

See Too

essential Nutrient
Malnutrition
National plan nutrition health (French)

External bond

to eat Well with the Canadian food Guide

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