What is “eating well” according to a nutritionist?

Are you familiar with the new version of Canada’s food guide? It promotes healthy eating based on food science. It also considers population-based data that reveals issues related to the daily nutrient intake of Canadians. What does eating well really mean? Eliminating bread, pasta, and potatoes? Taking a cocktail of supplements every day? Including protein at every meal? If eating well seems so complex, it’s because we’re overcomplicating things!

Nutrition and misinformation

If you believe everything you hear and read on the internet and social media, the act of “eating well” is becoming exceedingly complex! Here’s a piece of advice you probably don’t hear often enough: forget about complex diets, lists of foods to avoid and miracle superfoods. Instead, go back to the tried-and-true basics.

The ABCs of healthy eating

Eating well has many dimensions. Here are some reliable guidelines promoted by our new food guide that will point you in the right direction:

• Make informed food choices: Read nutrition labels, vary your diet, choose fresh foods over processed foods (often high in sodium, sugars, and saturated fats), make water your primary beverage.
• Develop your cooking skills: Cook more often!
• Maintain a good relationship with food: Enjoy pleasant meal experiences, eat without guilt, break away from dieting and restrictions (unless restricted by a health professional for a specific medical condition).
• Be aware of your eating habits, listen to your body and your overall needs. Ask yourself: when I eat, what need am I fulfilling? The need to nourish my body, to “manage” an emotion, to entertain myself, to make up for a lack of sleep?

Pro tip: Be aware of food marketing!

A perfect example is the obsession with the lack of protein in the diet that influences our choices. When we’re looking for the perfect brand of cereal, pancake mix, yogurt, candy bar or even bread, we pick up the package that says, “high protein”. Are Canadians really lacking in protein? No, they are not.

While many people worry about protein, it’s the fruits and vegetables that are lacking! So, it’s only right that our new food guide features a plate with half the surface area filled with fruit and vegetables! Have a look at the new guide. Visit https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/ and talk to a nutritionist! You’ll see that eating well isn’t that complicated!

Sources:

• Eating well with Canada’s food guide. (2019). Ottawa: Health Canada.
• Polsky, J. Y., & Garriguet, D. Polsky, JY., Garriguet, D. Change in vegetable and fruit consumption in Canada between 2004 and 2015.

What is "eating well" according to a nutritionist? is a post from Nautilus Plus. The Nautilus Plus blog aims to help people in their journey to fitness through articles on training, nutrition, motivation, exercise and healthy recipes.
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