ABSTRACT
In Canada, dietary risks comprise the largest burden of disease, when expressed as a percentage of disability adjusted life years (Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, 2010). This includes poor quality diets characterized by low fruit and vegetable intake (Hung et al., 2004; World Health Organization and Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, 2004; Dauchet et al., 2009; Boeing et al., 2012), excess energy-dense, nutrient poor foods high in fat, sugar, and sodium (Garriguet, 2004, 2007, 2009), and high intakes of “ultra-processed” foods (Monteiro, 2009; Moubarac et al., 2012; Monteiro et al., 2013). Individuals who adhere to Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating recommendations are more likely to meet nutrient requirements (St. John et al., 2008), but this comprises only 0.5 percent of Canadians (Garriguet, 2009). Most Canadians eat far fewer than the Guide’s recommended seven to ten servings of fruits and vegetables each day (Garriguet, 2004, 2007) In terms of diet-related chronic disease, the global obesity epidemic that has been identified as a public health crisis by Canadian governments (Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), 2010; Healthy Kids Panel, 2013) and international agencies (World Health Organization (WHO), 2012b) is increasingly attributed to caloric overconsumption rather than inadequate energy expenditure (Shelley, 2012; Swinburn et al., 2011).
