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both the standard measures and the dishes to estimate serving sizes. The number of servings recommended for the
food groups in the Food Guide often seem large until students realize the amount of different foods that they
normally eat in a meal may be equal to two or three Food Guide servings. Before the term begins, you can order
In 2007, Health Canada published Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide – First Nations, Inuit and Métis. This
national food guide was created to reflect the values, traditions, and food choices of Aboriginal populations. It
includes both traditional foods and store-bought foods that are generally available, affordable, and accessible across
Canada and provides unique images and content. A ready-to-use PowerPoint presentation with speaker’s notes is
From the Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide web site15 you can learn the basics about the Food Guide—for
example, the number of daily servings recommended for each food group, typical serving sizes, how to make the
most of your food choices, how to read food labels, and ideas for incorporating physical activity in your day;
students can use the fiMy Food Guide” tool to prepare their own personalized version of the Food Guide, a resource
they may want to put up on their fridge at home; you can find ideas for planning meals, going shopping, eating out,
and managing other influences on your food choices; and the fiFrequently Asked Questions” section covers a broad
range of topics about the Food Guide. You can also take a guided tour through the Food Guide.
Students may find interest in linking their Food Guide learning with the EATracker16 dietary and activity assessment
program offered by Dietitians of Canada.
Key healthy eating messages were incorporated to a greater degree in the new food guide, Eating Well with
Canada's Food Guide. As a result of consultations between the Federal/Provincial/Territorial Group on Nutrition
(this group includes representation from each provincial and territorial health department or departments responsible
for health with responsibility for nutrition) and the Network on Healthy Eating (this network includes
Activities
Your students can compare Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide and the personalized version, My Food Guide, to
the USDA Food Guide and the personalized version, MyPyramid, found in the textbook. They should note
differences between the Canadian and American food guidance systems. The Canadian food guide has a single food
group for vegetables and fruit, whereas the American food guide separates vegetables and fruit into two food groups.
Of further note, Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide and My Food Guide use food group servings defined by
weight and/or volume, whereas cups and ounces are used to define amounts of foods to choose from each food
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MyPyramid. Students can also compare their food intake for one day to the various recommendations found in
Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide and use the My Food Guide feature to create their own daily food guide.
Print a variety of food guides from different countries around the world. Ask students to discuss the similarities and
differences between the various food guides. Is there a common theme of food choice among different countries?
What are some striking differences between the food guides?
Table 2.1 Diet Planning for a 19- to 50-Year-Old Female Using Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide*
Food Group & Servings
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snack
Vegetables and Fruit – Choose 7–8
Table 2.2 Diet Planning for a 19- to 50-Year-Old Male Using Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide*
Food Group & Servings
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Snack
Vegetables and Fruit – Choose 8–
2.2 Exchange Lists for Diet Planning
On page 47 and in Appendix G, the textbook refers to the use of exchange lists for planning diets in the United
States. Beyond the Basics: Meal Planning for Healthy Eating, Diabetes Prevention and Management is the current
2.3 Food Fortification in Canada
fiFrom Guidelines to Groceries” notes the nutrient enrichment of foods in the United States. Notable examples of
enriched food groups are grains and milk, on pages 48-51 and 53, respectively. Before calculating food intakes or
reading food labels, you should alert students to the differences between Canadian and American policies on the
1. Vitamin and mineral addition is permitted to maintain and improve the nutritional quality of the food supply
through (i) restoration, and (ii) nutritional equivalence of substitute foods.
2. Food fortification programs will be used to correct and/or prevent nutritional problems of public health
significance.
The difference in national fortification regulations means that the nutrient composition of some foods sold in Canada
differs from that of similar foods sold in the United States (e.g., breakfast cereals). Thus, nutrient values from food
composition tables and computerized nutrient analysis programs based on the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) food database, such as Diet Analysis + and MyDiet Analysis, will not accurately reflect the
nutrient content of all foods consumed in Canada. Breakfast cereals are common examples of this difference. This is
especially true for vitamins A and D and the mineral iron that can be higher in cereal products sold in the United
States. With the new discretionary fortification policy stated in Health Canada’s proposed policy and
implementation plans for addition of vitamins and minerals to foods, regulated amounts of vitamins A and D are
permitted to be added to cereals in Canada. Detailed information about which nutrients are mandatory to add to
To highlight a nutrient-specific difference between Canadian and American foods, instructors should note that
addition of vitamin D to all fluid milk is mandatory in Canada, as is the addition of vitamin A to fat-reduced milk.
This is not the case in the United States,19 and thus options for choosing vitamin D-fortified low-fat or fat-free milks
may not exist in specific American-based nutrient analysis programs, and assessment for vitamin D may be
unreliable when students use U.S.-based programs to assess their dietary intakes.
In 1997, Health Canada permitted the voluntary addition of calcium and vitamin D to plant-based beverages (e.g.,
soy- or rice-based beverages). When selecting these beverages, students should check food labels for the addition of
these nutrients.
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2.4 Canadian Food Labelling
Health Canada and CFIA share the responsibility for food labelling policies under Canada’s Food and Drugs Act
Regulations published in the Canada Gazette, Part II, on January 1, 2003, made nutrition labelling mandatory on
most food labels as of January 1, 2006.21 For smaller food manufacturers the deadline was extended to December
2007. The regulations updated requirements of over 40 nutrient content claims and allowed five diet-related health
claims on food labels or in advertisements. Health Canada provides an education strategy to help consumers make
informed choices about the foods they buy and eat. Information on nutrition regulations and supporting education
materials can be accessed through the Health Canada web site. A ready-to-use PowerPoint presentation on nutrition
labelling, ready-to-use articles that help educators teach food labelling, key messages to guide nutrition labelling
Food Ingredients
Food ingredients are listed, using their common name, in descending order of proportion by weight, as determined
before they are combined to make the food. Exceptions are spices, seasonings and herbs (except salt), natural and
artificial flavours, flavour enhancers, food additives, and vitamin and mineral nutrients and their derivatives or salts,
which may be shown at the end of the ingredient list in any order. If an ingredient is optional, or can be substituted
for another one in a product, the label must list all the ingredients that are likely to be used in the product within a
one-year period. The label must indicate that all of these specific ingredients may not be present in each package of
the food. This is often seen on cracker labels when the source of oil or fat varies with the market availability of oil
products. To assist consumers in avoiding the potentially serious consequences of allergic and sensitivity reactions
to foods, food label ingredient lists must declare the following foods or their derivatives when present as ingredients:
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capable of causing severe adverse reactions. Two precautionary statements currently in use are: fimay contain X”; or
finot suitable for consumption by persons with an allergy to X”, where fiX” is the name by which the allergen is
commonly known. Although precautionary labelling is voluntary, enforcement action will occur when allergens are
not clearly represented on pre-packaged foods and a potential health risk has been identified.
At this time there is no labelling requirement to identify food products resulting from genetic engineering (referred
to in regulations as finovel foods”), unless there is a significant change in nutrition or composition or there is a
potential health or safety risk for a population, such as allergic potential. Canada's trading partners, including the
United States, support labelling on a case-by-case basis in instances related to health, safety, or compositional
change. In accordance with the Food and Drugs Act, labelling of novel foods must be understandable, truthful, and
Nutrition Facts
The Nutrition Facts table presents the nutrient content of a food based on a declared amount of food in a
standardized format on most prepackaged foods. All of the information in the Nutrition Facts table is based on the
noted specific amount of the food—a serving size given in commonly used household measures (e.g., 1 cup)
followed by the corresponding metric weight (e.g., 240 grams). This serving size does not necessarily correspond
with serving sizes in Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide, and is based on a reference amount of food specified
Nutrient Content Claims
Nutrient content claims are limited to those that are permitted by the Food and Drug Regulations. Nutrient content
claims describe the relative amount of a nutrient, based on a reference amount of food. Claims such as fireduced” or
filower” in amount, or fisource” or fivery high source” can only be made in accordance with the standards specified
in the table of section B.01.513 of the Food and Drug Regulations.23
Diet-related Health Claims and Biological Role Claims
In 2002, Health Canada introduced diet-related health claims that added to the previously allowed biological role
claims.
Diet-related health claims are permitted for:
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• high potassium, low sodium, and reduced risk of high blood pressure. When this claim is made, the Nutrition
Facts table must include the amount of potassium;
• adequate calcium, vitamin D, and regular physical activity, and reduced risk of osteoporosis. When this claim is
made, the Nutrition Facts table must include the amount of vitamin D and phosphorus;
Biological role claims are permitted for a number of nutrients. Examples include: vitamin E—protects the fat in
body tissues from oxidation, and protein—helps build and repair body tissues and helps build antibodies.
Specific requirements related to nutrient claims and diet-related health claims can be found in Chapters 7 and 8,
respectively, of the Guide to Food Labelling and Advertising.24
In consultation a wide variety of stakeholders, Health Canada is currently developing a framework for the
management of health claims for food, with the objective to increase government efficiency and flexibility in the
approval of health claims, while retaining high standards to ensure credibility of the claims.
Educational Messages
Health Canada offers an on-line Interactive Nutrition Label and Quiz to help consumers effectively use the
determine more personalized information from the Nutrition Facts table.
Activity
Ask students to bring to class labels from a variety of food packages. Then ask students to identify different
components of the label and relate each component to current labelling requirements.
Highlight 2: Vegetarian Diets
Vegetarian Diets: Position of Dietitians of Canada and The American Dietetic Association25 (2003)
This paper presents a position statement that includes the social, economic, and health implications of
vegetarianism. It accounts for dietary implications regarding key nutrients and implications for vegetarianism during
different stages in the life span. It also outlines health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases.
45
A New Food Guide for North American Vegetarians (2003)
This is a companion article to the above position paper and was published in the Canadian Journal for Dietetic
Practice and Research in 2003.26 Figure 2 in the article uses a rainbow format to present 6 food groups: Grains;
Vegetables; Fruits; Legumes, nuts and other protein-rich foods; Fats; and Calcium-rich foods, which include foods
26 Messina V, Melina V, Mangels AR. 2003. A new food guide for North American vegetarians. Canadian Journal
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Worksheet 2-1: Daily Calorie Evaluation
With respect to each of the following food groups, identify the weight portion that you ate over a 24-hour period
(teaspoons, ounces or cups) in the first row and the amount of kilocalories that you consumed from those foods in
the second row.
Food
Groups
Fruits
Vegetables
Grains
Meat &
Beans
Milk
Oils
Discretionary
Weight
portion
Kcal
portion
24-hour total kilocalories consumed: ______________________
Now for some calculations:
1. Calculate your BMI: _________________
2. Determine your daily kcal needs using both of the following formulas:
Harris-Benedict Formula:
Male 66.5 + (13.7 x weight in kg) + (5 x height in cm) – (6.8 x age in years)
Female 655 + (9.6 x weight in kg) + (1.8 x height in cm) – (4.7 x age in years)
47
Worksheet 2-2: Supermarket Worksheet
For the following list of food items, please go to your local supermarket and fill in the information requested in the
table below.
Food product
Aisle location
What items are on the
opposite side of the aisle?
Shelf location
Is the price
readily
available?
Vanilla ice cream
cups
Hot dog rolls
Name of supermarket: ________________________ Total # of aisles: ________________
Come prepared to class to discuss your findings. Questions for discussion:
1. How is fifood placement” determined in the supermarket setting?
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Worksheet 2-3: Compare Your Food Intake to
Recommended Daily Amounts from Each Group
List food item
and amount.
Indicate amount consumed from each food group, using the appropriate unit of
measurement (in parentheses).
Estimate
values.
Food Item
Fruits
(cups)
Vegetables
(cups)
Grains
(oz.)
Meat &
beans (oz.)
Milk
(cups)
Oils
(tsp.)
Discretionary
kcalories
Breakfast:
Dinner:
49
Worksheet 2-4: Chapter 2 Crossword Puzzle
Across
Down
2. reference values developed by the FDA specifically
for use on food labels
3. statements that characterize the relationship
between any nutrient or other substance in a food
1. eating a wide selection of foods with and among the
major food groups
4. in relation to dietary intake, providing enough but
not too much of a substance
1 3
2
4
5 6
8
7
9
10
50
Worksheet 2-5: Interpreting Food Labels (Internet Exercise)
Scroll down the page and click on Nutrition Facts Label brochure (PDF file) to answer questions 1-7.
Once you have finished answering the questions, then you can go back to the main page of the website by
clicking on the back arrow of your browser.
1. The information on the Nutrition Facts label is based on one serving of a food item.
2. On each food label there is a % DV for sugar.
a. True
b. False
3. In order to maximize one's protein intake, you should eat foods that are considered to be lean protein
4. Foods that are labeled "fat free" do not contain any fat.
5. % Daily Value is based on a 2,500-kilocalorie diet.
a. True
b. False
6. The representative food label indicates that the serving size for the item is 2 cups.
7. The amount of trans fat on the label is equal to the amount of saturated fat.
a. True
b. False
51
Go back to the main page of the website. Click on Make Your Calories Count located at the bottom of
the Labeling & Nutrition box. Proceed through Preface and steps 1 through 3 to answer question 8.
8. Match the selection criteria with the correct explanation.
a. 3 servings of potato chips
b. 40 calories
c. 100 calories
d. 400 calories
e. 5% DV or less
f. 20% DV or more
