canada’s food guide and agriculture -...
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Canada’s Food Guide and Agriculture:
Nutritional and environmental aspects
Algoma BRING HOME FOOD 2019
Dr. June Matthews, RD, P.H.Ec.Brescia University College Oct. 10, 2019
Health Canada. Canada’s Food Guide. 2019
Mindful of eating habits
Cook more often
Enjoy your food
Eat meals with others
Recipes
Tips
Resources
• 62-page resource used by health professionals and policy makers– In all sectors– At all government levels– To support programs and policies
• Schools• Workplaces• Recreation centres• Health care facilities
Health Canada. Canada’s Dietary Guidelines for Health Professionals and Policy Makers. 2019
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1. NUTRITIONAL ASPECTS
1. Protein foods include eggs, poultry, lean red meat, lower fat milk / yogurts / kefir, & cheeses lower in fat & sodium
2. Health risks ~ alcohol
3. Home Economics curriculum
4. Determinants of health
1. Water as drink of choice– Must look deeper for other options:
• white milk• almond beverage
2. Lesser environmental impact from eating more plant-based and fewer animal-based foods
Health Canada. Canada’s Dietary Guidelines for Health Professionals and Policy Makers. 2019
Other Dietary Guidelines – Dairy • South Africa specifically recommends daily consumption
of dairy products including maas (cultured milk)
– Source of PRO, E, & important minerals
– Culturally-relevant, traditional food
Du Plooy et al. Food Chemistry. 2018
FRESH Peer Nutrition Education Program (freshu.ca). 2015
I really dislike the term “plant-based” to describe a preferred or healthy diet. Many processed foods
(e.g., gummy bears, soft drinks, ultra-processed breakfast cereals)are plant-based and can be poor nutritional choices.
There are plenty of healthy animal-based choices.
Tufts Nutrition Letter. April 2019
Dr. D. MozaffarianDean, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
Tufts University
“Plant-based” recommendation
Willett et al. EAT-Lancet Commission. The Lancet. 2019
EAT-Lancet Commission Nutrition focus• Universal healthy reference diet
– Proposes no/low intakes of red meat and no/low dairy consumption
– Did not consider processed foods• Reference diet poses challenges for
– growing children, adolescent girls, pregnant women, aging adults, malnourished, and impoverished
• Recommend dietary supplements for groups at risk
Environmental focus• “Food production is the largest cause
of global environmental change”– Incorrect. It’s the burning of fossil fuels!
• Looks only at production and consumption (not the whole food system)
• Critics point out that extensive air travel by authors and funders is in clear opposition to their dietary recommendations to save the planet
• Not necessary to eliminate meat/dairy• Animal-source foods provide PRO, Fe, Zn, Vit B12 (and Ca
and B12 in dairy); preferable to have food > supplements• Lower-fat meat/dairy (& lacto-ovo vegetarian diets)
environmental problems in terms of waste & by-products (e.g., cream / bacon / veal)
• GreenHouse Gas Emissions are only one element of sustainability
Macdiarmid et al. Am J Clin Nutr, 2012; Health Council for the Netherlands. Guidelines for a healthy diet: The ecological perspective. 2011
Other Dietary Guidelines – Meat
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2. ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS
GreenHouse Gas Emissions (GHGEs)• Includes several gases (some much more toxic than CO2)
• Typically expressed as kg CO2e/kg food produced
• Expressed as kg CO2e/kJ energy of the food means some FV have higher GHGE than meat (due to E density)
• Therefore, it is important to consider the whole diet rather than single food items
Macdiarmid et al. Proc Nutr Society, 2013
Tom et al. Environmental Systems Decisions, 2016.
Healthy DietLOW GHGE
Balance of meat, fish, dairy, FV
Healthy DietHIGH GHGE
High in meat (not above rec’ns),FV with high GHGE, and rice
Unhealthy DietLOW GHGE
High in sugar (food & bev) and low in FV
Unhealthy DietHIGH GHGE
Very high in meat and sugar and low in FV
Macdiarmid et al. Proc Nutr Society, 20132013
There is
no single sustainable diet.
Macdiarmid et al. Am J Clin Nutr, 2012
“Plant-based” diets include meats
“Meat-based” diets include plants
However, the perception is that plant-based = vegan/vegetarian and that these diets will save the planet
Perception vs. Reality
Emissions reductions from indiv. actions
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
Upgrade lighbulbs
Recycle
Eat plant-based diet
Buy more fuel-efficient car
Avoid 1 int'l flight
Live car-free
Tonnes of C02e/YEARAdapted from Wynes & Nicholas, 2017
0.8
1.6
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tarom.b737-700.yr-bgg.arp.jpg
https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/cell-phone-buying-guide/
Flightradar24.com; Belkhir L & Elmeligi. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018.
Agriculture contributes
8% of
Canada’s GHGEs
http://prairieclimatecentre.ca/2018/03/where-do-canadas-greenhouse-gas-emissions-come-from/
Agriculture is the only sector that has the
capacity to remove GHGEs
safely and cost-effectively
from the atmosphere
without reducing productivity.
United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization. Mitigation of Climate Change in Agriculture Programme. http://www.fao.org/in-action/mica/en
Pittman J. Canadian Geographic. 2018; Schwartz JD. Pacific Standard. 2017; Stevenson L. Manitoba Cooperator. 2019.
Grasslands disappearing faster than Rainforest
https://psmag.com/news/saving-the-cows-and-grasslands-of-rural-zimbabwe
https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news-opinion/news/conservationists-should-support-beef-sector/
Cattle ranching preserves grasslands, species at risk, & biodiversity
CANADA
ZIMBABWE
Kim et al., Global Enviro Change, 2019
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3. SUGGESTIONSMOVING FORWARD
Animal-based food production
• Emphasize that Canada’s DGs do include meat and milk
• Stress the importance of milk intake for bone health
• Partner with univ’s/SNAPP to create new food products
• Build partnerships with conservation organizations
Plant-based food production
• Collaborate and present a united front – Provide recipes that combine products
• meat + beans; milk + vegetables
• Warming climate greater variety of crops in N. Ont.
• Lots of fertile land in N. Ont. not being used potential
• Educate about the value of all types of agriculture
• Advocate for congruency between prov. and fed. policies
• Personally engage with students or collaborate with agricultural education organizations such as AgScape
• Educate about impact of other sectors on climate
• Encourage rural youth to consider a career in dietetics
• Emphasize there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ diet
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REFERENCES
Belkhir L & Elmeligi A. Assessing ICT global emissions footprint: Trends to 2040 and recommendations. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2018;177:448-463.Caldwell W, Epp S, Howes, K. Facilitating the Agricultural and Local Food Sector in Northern Ontario. A Municipal Toolkit. University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario. 2018Du Plooy Z, Schonfeldt HC, Hall N. The role of traditional foods in food-based dietary guidelines – A South African case study on maas (cultured milk). Food Chemistry. 2018Fergusson & Wagner. Plant-based diets and the environment. Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition (PEN). Dietitians of Canada. 2019.Flightradar24: Real-Time Flight Tracker Map. https://www.flightradar24.comFRESH (Food Resources and Education for Student Health). http://freshu.caHealth Canada. Canada’s Food Guide and Canada’s Dietary Guidelines for Health Professionals and Policy Makers. 2019.Health Council for the Netherlands. Guidelines for a healthy diet: The ecological perspective. 2011.
Kim BF et al. Country-specific dietary shifts to mitigate climate and water crises. Global Environmental Change, 2019; article in press.Macdiarmid J. Is a healthy diet an environmentally sustainable diet? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. 2013;72:13-20.Macdiarmid J et al. Sustainable diets for the future: can we contribute to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by eating a healthy diet? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2012;96:632-639.Manitoba Habitat Heritage Corp. “Keep Grazing” Project. https://mhhc.mb.ca/keep-grazing-project/
Mozaffarian D. “Plant-based” and unhealthy? Tufts Nutrition Newsletter. Tufts University. 2019. https://www.nutritionletter.tufts.edu/issues/15_4/current-articles/Plant-Based-and-Unhealthy_2556-1.html
OMAFRA. Ontario's Northern Livestock Pilot Action Plan, 2017. Pittman J. How cattle ranching can help preserve species at risk in Canada’s grasslands. Canadian Geographic. July 24, 2018.Prairie Climate Centre. Where do Canada’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Come From? 2018. http://prairieclimatecentre.ca/2018/03/where-do-canadas-greenhouse-gas-emissions-come-from/
Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN). Sustainable New Agri-Food Products & Productivity Program (SNAPP). http://rainalgoma.ca/snapp/Schwartz JD. Saving the cows – and grasslands – of rural Zimbabwe. Pacific Standard. June 14, 2017. https://psmag.com/news/saving-the-cows-and-grasslands-of-rural-zimbabweStevenson L. Conservationists should support beef sector. Manitoba Cooperator. Feb. 28, 2019.Tom MS, Fischbeck PS, Hendrickson CT. Energy use, blue water footprint, and greenhouse gas emissions for current food consumption patterns and dietary recommendations in the US. Environmental Systems Decisions. 2016;36:92-103.United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization. Mitigation of Climate Change in Agriculture Programme. http://www.fao.org/in-action/mica/enWillett et al. Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. The Lancet. 2019;393:447-492.Wynes S, Nicholas KA. The climate mitigation gap: education and government recommendations miss the most effective individual actions. Environmental Research Letters. 2017; 12, 074024.