Registered Dietitians warn Canadians missing out on important health benefits

MONTREAL - Registered Dietitians from Dairy Farmers of Canada in collaboration with Dietitians of Canada today released the results of a national survey that revealed that many Canadian adults are not consuming the recommended number of daily servings of any of the four food groups. It was also surprising that, for each of the food groups, a significant number of people reported not consuming any of that food group on the day prior to the survey. Registered Dietitians are warning this trend may have serious consequences on the nutritional health of Canadians.

The data, collected by IPSOS Reid from more than 2,000 people across Canada in August 2009 was analyzed by Registered Dietitians to provide a snapshot of what Canadian adults are eating and drinking during a twenty-four hour period.

The results showed that:

1. Consumption of all four food groups is far below recommended levels;

2. A significant number of Canadian adults had not consumed any milk and alternatives or any vegetables and fruit on the day prior to the survey;

3. Many Canadian adults report they have barriers to healthy eating;

4. A majority of Canadian adults are not aware of the many health benefits of milk and alternatives and vegetables and fruit including their role in reducing the risk of some cancers, hypertension and other chronic diseases; and

5. When made aware of these important health benefits, Canadians report they are motivated to increase their intake of foods from these food groups.

"In addition to encouraging Canadians to include the recommended number of servings of the four food groups from Canada's Food Guide health professionals might also need to focus more on the reasons why these foods are important," says Mary Sue Waisman, Manager, Public Affairs Communications, Dietitians of Canada. "For example, most Canadians don't seem to know about the role milk products and vegetables and fruits play in controlling blood pressure or lowering the risk of some cancers. If they did, it might just help them to choose additional servings of these products more often.

Another important finding of the IPSOS survey is that many Canadians report they have barriers to healthy eating. "This is consistent with the observations from Registered Dietitians across Canada who report that many people find it challenging to eat well. For example, they need help with how to include healthier food choices in their daily meal plan, how to prepare and cook healthy foods that don't break the food budget," says Waisman.