BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Thinking about changing your diet? Or trying to be healthier in the New Year? Canada may have your back.
Tuesday Canada health released their newest diet recommendations. Key takeaways included eating more greens and vegetables, substituting water for milk and finding other sources of protein besides meat.
“If we took all the grains and soy beans that we feed to animals and fed them to humans we could feed 10 times more people protein. The whole process where we feed plants to animals for protein is like a protein factory in reverse,” says Gary Giovino, Chair of the Department of Community Health at the University at Buffalo. “If you read science and you understand science I think the Canadian guidelines are much more in-sync with science.”
He says the longest living people in the world have diets that consist primarily of plants and that animals aren't the end-all-be-all for protein.
"You want to eat foods that keep you satisfied but don’t put a lot of weight on, it’s simple, it’s just not easy," says Giovino
One of the main areas where the Canadian diet recommendations differ from American recommendations is with the food groups and portions. Canada did away with the traditional four main food groups Americans see on the traditional "MyPlate" figure. They also got rid of portion sizes, Canadian health experts say the old recommendations didn't take lifestyle or body type into account.
“Recommendations are like recipes, if you follow the recipe you should have good health outcome," Says Dr. Richard Vienne, Chief Medical Officer at Univera Healthcare.
The recommendation update Tuesday puts Canada on pace with concepts used in other progressive countries like Belgium and Sweden.
