Eat less meat, eat more leeks

After 12 years of scientific research, Health Canada released a new version of the food guide that makes eating healthy easy and simple to everyone.

The new food guide approaches Canadian’s diets in a different angle than the previous guide –which came out in 2007, and it is going to change lives.

Here is why the changes in the new guide are good for us:

Health Canada is focusing on the quality of the food rather than portion sizes, that is why the picture on the front of the guide shows a plate of food filled half with real fruits and vegetables, one-quarter protein (more plant-based) and one-quarter whole grains, along with a glass of water.

The message is clear, eat real foods that are not processed, don’t have preservatives or any added chemicals. This is because Health Canada wants to reduce the consumption of high saturated fats and any other unnecessary calories and products with no nutritional value.

The guide also urges the consumers to read the food labels to make sure the nutritional values marketed are real and not just false advertisement.

Health Canada is encouraging Canadians to be mindful of their eating habits by getting the consumers to ask themselves the five Ws and H (when, where, why, what and how are they eating?)

Using the method provided by Health Canada, citizens will learn more about the food in their plates which in turn makes the consumer aware of any unhealthy choices they might have otherwise missed.

The guide is putting less emphasis on meat and more emphasis on getting protein from plants, beans, tofu and dairy products.

According to an article by the globe and mail, high intakes of red meat have been tied to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer. While eating more plant-based protein, has been associated with a lower risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease.

Medical benefits aren’t the only good side of cutting down on meat consumption, the world’s population is growing and demands for food are getting higher and higher. Soon farmers won’t be able to keep up with demand.

A good solution to the problem is to cut down on meat consumption; by replacing the protein source with another source that can re-grow every year. And it doesn’t require cruelty or ending an animal’s life.

Health Canada is also sharing recipes and pushing Canadians to cook at home more often so they can appreciate their food more.

When people eat less meat, their bodies won’t be able to digest high amounts of animal protein. That is why with time a diet like the one released by Health Canada might help change people’s lifestyles and help them become vegetarians.

Vegetarian diets are ideal because plants are natural foods that re-grow every year, are filled with nutrients, and no life-ending is required.

Vegetables and fruits might be more expensive than unhealthy processed foods but that is only because one-third of the planet’s arable land is used to feed livestock that are later killed for human consumption. That is why cutting down on meat is going to allow more lands to be used for growing foods that are for human consumptions, resulting in a decrease in plant food prices, healthier diets and an improved environment.