Many Canadian Dietitians (including myself) have opted not to use Canada's Food Guide as a nutrition teaching tool over the past 10 (or more) years. In fact, since opening my private practice doors in 2007, I don't think I've ever given out a copy of the food guide (to be honest, I developed my own), and here's why:
For decades, saturated fat—also known as "bad" fat—has been labeled one of the leading causes of heart disease. Greasy hamburgers, T-Bone steaks, cheesy pizza and cream sauces have long been avoided because of advice given by nutrition professionals such as myself, health officials, and as laid out by national health authorities and heart associations. But the truth is, there is absolutely no link between saturated fat and heart disease risk. But wait. Don't let this new evidence be your license to gorge on greasy burgers everyday.
If it were a perfect world, we would all eat fresh whole foods that do not come in a box or bag. We would enjoy seasonal and fresh vegetables and fruits, fresh fish, and local ingredients from the farmers market year round. But, unfortunately, we don't have access to a wide range of local fresh foods year round in most parts of Canada and life gets busy, so whipping up meals from scratch three times a day just isn't possible. For most of us, anyway.
