Charities feeding hungry Calgarians compare menus to new food guide

Calgary organizations that provide food to those in need will be reviewing their menus to see how they stack up to Canada's new food guide.

The guidelines, which were updated this week for the first time since 2007, now push Canadians to eat more protein that comes from plants, more whole grain foods, and plenty of fruits and vegetables.

Bethany Ross, director of operations with Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids, says she likes what she sees in the new food guide.

The group, which feeds 4,400 Calgary children in 220 schools every weekday, aims to pack as many nutrient-rich foods into those lunches as possible.

"We know that getting those kids lots of fruits and veggies is really important. For a lot of families, that's the most expensive food for them to buy, so it's often something that they struggle specifically to buy," Ross said. "We use a lot of carrot sticks, a lot of apples, a lot of oranges."

Dramatically different guide

The new food guide is dramatically different than the old one, so Ross said they will take some time to ensure their menus align with it.

The new food guide presents portions of food, rather than food groups or recommended servings. Instead it shows a plate half filled with vegetables and fruits, a quarter filled with whole grain foods and the final quarter with protein foods, not all of which are meat.

"We're always working to adjust to make sure that we're getting the healthiest nutrient-packed food we can to these kids who are hungry," she said. "And we'll take a look at it and see if it really means any changes for our program. "

The importance of cooking and preparing meals at home is also stressed by the food guide. You can read the full food guide online at canada.ca/foodguide.

When it comes to pushing more plant-based protein, Ross said pea butter sandwiches are a favourite with the kids, and Brown Bagging for Calgary's Kids will keep offering those.

'Do they still want meat?'

The Calgary Food Bank, which distributed 89,000 hampers last year, also will take a look at the food it offers and types of donations it requests.

"We need to do some evaluating [to] ensure content we have is still healthy and meeting Canada's food guide," said Shawna Ogston, a Calgary Food Bank spokesperson.

"But as well, listening to what the clients need … Do they still want meat? Do they still want gluten-free products? Do they still want dairy? So we're going to have to find that fine balance, because it's been quite a shift with the dietary guidelines."

Although the process hasn't entirely been worked out, the food bank plans to work with external nutritionists and its own team to see how its hampers align with new food guide.

"We want to make sure that we have the healthiest hampers for families and individuals when they're in crisis, but that always depends on donations," Ogston said.

She said they try to have the right balance of grains and vegetables, and if they can't do that with donations, then the food bank buys those products.

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