Fast-Food Nation - Canada? - Forks.ca, the edible blog

Fast-Food Nation - Canada?

Posted by Jess

Oh no. Say it isn't so. But according to a new dietary study, the first wide-scale one done in decades, Canada is indeed becoming a 'fast-food nation'. I remember watching the movie last year thinking this is not representative of Canadians, but more specifically a U.S.-focused problem. Wrong!! Here's a stat for you - over 25% of Canadians polled (35,000) said they had eaten something from a fast-food restaurant in the last 24 hours. How crazy is that? In Ontario, that number is even higher. Combine all of this with more data that shows that Canadians aren't getting anywhere near the amount of fruits, vegetables and dairy that we're supposed to be getting, and it quickly becomes evident that we're on a collision course toward a massively wide-spread obesity problem. And if you think the wealthier folk know better, and eat better. Think again. According to the latest data, wealthier Canadians are actually consuming more fatty foods and eating less fresh produce than those with lower incomes. More money obviously doesn't buy you better health.

Many people like to take pot-shots at the government-sanctioned 'Canada's Food Guide' and some of the criticism is warranted ie, too much red meat, too much dairy etc. However, when you read about how unhealthy our nation's eating habits really are, it makes you realize that we could all probably pay a little closer attention to any food guide that at the very least preaches a balanced diet.

TAGS: Canada, Canadian, Diet, Fastfood, Health, Statistics, Survey
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