Canada’s Food Guide received it’s eighth revision since it’s inception in 1942, with the current edition making some cuts in the previous meat and dairy sections.

The new guide by Health Canada, has eliminated the four staple food groups that have long made up the Food Guide; grains, fruit and vegetables, dairy and meat products have now been re-vamped into three categories, fruit and vegetables, whole grains and proteins.

The dairy industry no longer gets their own column and instead has been included in the protein category, with further recommendations of opting for low-fat dairy and alternatives such as soy-milk. The protein category has undergone additional changes with Health Canada encouraging Canadians to increase the consumption of plant-based protein such as beans and tofu over animal proteins. Health Canada cited studies backing up their decisions for these changes and concluded from the evidence which states diets that are higher in plant based foods, lowered the risk of cardiovascular disease and also stated that one can improve blood fat levels by consuming more nuts and soy food options.

The new guide has also done-away with suggested servings for each group and has instead focused on lifestyle factors including mindful eating, cooking more often, enjoying your food and eating with others as positive factors for healthy eating habits.

Fruit juices and processed foods including processed meats have been included in the guide... but only as a precaution against them. The guide states that fruit juices contain high amounts of sugar and can put a person at risk for increased weight but also tooth decay. Processed foods, especially meat, as well as saturated fats, are also on the cautionary list for Canadians due to studies that cite an increased risk of some types of cancer.

As the new guide was just released yesterday, there will be eventual commentary that will emerge in the coming days and weeks critiquing the changes made. The revision has already been referenced as a long time coming since the previous edition was released in 2007. For anyone who has done any significant amount of nutritional research, it is apparent that evidence can be found for many different nutritional camps, which could make the argument of the relevance of Canada’s Food Guide in the age of information that we live in.

Topics that have gained a lot of traction in the recent years in nutrition that received little to no attention through the new Food Guide included the use of artificial sweeteners, caffeine consumption (besides pointing to water being the “beverage of choice”), essential fatty acids such as omega-3’s and the balance between proteins, carbs and fats. Soy has also been critiqued and studied for the undesirable estrogenic effects it can have on the body.

To see all the changes and recommendations of the new Canada’s Food Guide, click here.