It’s time to ditch the Standard Canadian Diet
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the win-win plant-rich diet. Today I will focus on a lose-lose diet that’s become known by the acronym SAD: the Standard American Diet.
Sadly, consumption of the SAD is not constrained by the borders of the USA. Americans have exported their eating habits globally and Canada has not remained unscathed. Being a proud Canadian, I felt our all-too-typical Canadian diet should have its own name, so I’ve called it the Stan-Can.
Like SAD, the Stan-Can is characterized by a high intake of processed and animal-sourced foods like meat and dairy. It's high in salt and sugar, refined carbs, and unhealthy saturated fats, and it's clearly bad for us. Over the last few decades, our predilection for the Stan-Can has only increased, as has our tendency to be inactive. The result has been soaring rates of obesity, and diet-related chronic diseases like Type 2 Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol/triglycerides, heart disease, strokes, and many forms of cancer. In fact, our unhealthy diets pose a greater risk for illness and premature death than unsafe sex, alcohol, drugs, and tobacco combined. The Stan-Can hasn’t been so great for the planet either, and its detrimental impact is growing.
The current population of humans on Earth is almost 8 billion, and we’ll probably reach about 10 billion in number by 2050. Though we’ve managed to increase food production dramatically in recent decades, a great many people around the world are suffering from nutritional issues. The challenge before us is to learn how to feed everyone well without completely wrecking the planet.
Globally, one in ten people are undernourished, lacking access to adequate calories. As a result, some 151 million children suffer from stunted growth and 51 million are thin and wasted.
Meanwhile, these diets are also unsustainable. Our food production systems are responsible for 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Our increasing proclivity for animal-based sources of protein is a major driver for the expansion of agricultural land and the resulting loss of forests, especially in the tropics. Our farming practices degrade the soil, and pollute and deplete our fresh water sources. Even as the population of humans continues to rise, the population of a great many of our fellow creatures is declining drastically, due to loss of or damage to their habitats. We humans might find ways to justify our derangement of the planet if in fact we were healthier for it. But alas, we are not.
In 2019, Health Canada released Canada’s new food guide. The guide is based on the best scientific evidence available and remarkably free from the influence of lobby groups. It offers state-of-the-art advice on how to eat well, and its simple recommendations can be adapted to serve a wide range of food traditions and preferences. Eat mostly plants. Drink mostly water. It sounds bland and boring, but a glance at the sample plate reveals the rich array of colourful, appealing options from which to choose.
Perhaps it’s surprising that a Food Guide primarily designed to promote human health turns out to be a winner for the planet too. But then again, with its emphasis on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and plant-sourced proteins, Canada’s Food Guide is just more proof that what’s good for people can be good for the planet. And vice versa.
Sources:
1) Food in the Anthropocene: The EAT-Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems. The Lancet Vol. 393. Feb. 2, 2019.
2) Food Systems: seven priorities to end hunger and protect the planet. Nature 30 Aug. 2021