A Food Guide We Can Truly Love

Just about every Canadian is familiar with Canada’s Food Guide, the omnipresent “rainbow“ of foods in classrooms across the country.

Through it, kids are taught to eat a certain amount of servings of each food group. The idea is, of course, that if you do, you’ll be healthier.

Well the food guide has been around since 1942 and the health of Canadians seems to be going in the wrong direction

Brazil, in developing their new food guide, decided to look at the question “What is healthy eating?” in a different way. As result, they have been said to have developed one of the best models in the world.

The guide doesn’t focus on servings or different food groups, so much as food quality, and cooking and eating practices that support health.

One of the most interesting things about the process of developing this new food guide is that Brazil did not allow the food industry to be part of the initial consultation at all. They were only allowed to comment during the public consultation stage.

Here it is in a nutshell:

  1. Make natural or minimally processed foods the basis of your diet
  2. Use oils, fats, salt, and sugar in small amounts when seasoning and cooking natural or minimally processed foods and to create culinary preparations
  3. Limit consumption of processed foods (like crackers or cereal)
  4. Avoid consumption of ultra-processed foods (like pop and chips)
  5. Eat regularly and carefully in appropriate environments and, whenever possible, in company
  6. Shop in places that offer a variety of natural or minimally processed foods
  7. Develop, exercise and share cooking skills
  8. Plan your time to make food and eating important in your life
  9. Out of home, prefer places that serve freshly made meals
  10. Be wary of food advertising and marketing

You can read the whole document here.