This editorial was published in the March 2, 2007 edition of The Leduc Representative.

We all know that eating well and getting regular exercise are vital to good health. But what, exactly, does eating well mean? And how much exercise is enough?

Living in the information age hasn’t made answering those questions any easier. An Internet search of Canadian sources for “diet” and “exercise” will yield more than a million websites offering enough information – much of it conflicting – to overwhelm even the most nutrition-conscious among us.

This month Health Minister Tony Clement launched the new 2007 version of Canada's Food Guide. For 65 years, Canadians have relied upon Canada’s Food Guide for information about the foods they eat. With the launch of the 2007 edition, Canadians can once again turn to this well recognized Government of Canada publication to sort out food facts from fiction.

The revised Food Guide is the result of three years of work which included consultations with 7,000 Canadians – including dieticians, scientists, physicians and public health personnel – and it provides recommendations on what foods to eat and how much to eat each day.

New to this edition of the Food Guide are recommendations based on age and gender for the daily number of servings from each of the four food groups (Vegetables and Fruit, Grain Products, Milk and Alternatives, Meat and Alternatives) plus a small amount of added oils and fats.

The revised Food Guide also features a new online, interactive tool called My Food Guide that allows Canadians to personalize the Food Guide to fit their food preferences and lifestyle.

Also new is the recommendation that men and women over the age of 50 need a daily vitamin D supplement. This is based on evidence that as we age we need more of this important vitamin than can be obtained from following the Food Guide.

So, how much exercise is enough? That, too, varies depending on your age. According to Canada’s Physical Activity Guide, thirty to 60 minutes of activity a day is good for adults, while growing children and youth need at least 90 minutes of daily activity to be healthy.

For more information visit Health Canada’s Food Guide website at www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide. And if you have any questions or comments for me, please do not hesitate to contact my office.