Increased consumption of plant proteins is recommended. Ottawa—While Canada's Dietary Guidelines don't look anything like the old Canada Food Guide, they do leave some room on your plate for meat and dairy products. And hold the pop and booze, water is all you need to drink.The Guidelines are supposed to “to promote healthy eating and overall nutritional well-being,” Health Canada says of its long-awaited successor the Food Guide. They are to be a resource for health professionals and policy makers in “developing nutrition policies, programs, and educational resources for members of the Canadian population.”Industry objections to earlier versions of the Guidelines for being anti-meat and dairy produced some modifications in the final version. Health Canada now says, “While many animal-based foods are nutritious, the regular intake of plant-based foods—vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and plant-based proteins—can have positive effects on health.“Patterns of eating that include animal-based foods should emphasize more plant-based foods, and promote animal-based foods that are lower in saturated fat, such as lean red meat including wild game, lower fat milk, lower fat yogurts, lower fat kefir, and cheeses lower in fat and sodium,” it said.Ron Bonnet, President of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, said, “It is unfortunate that the revised Food Guide does not specifically promote Canadian agrifood as part of their core recommendations. However, the diversity of foods outlined in the Food Guide are all products that Canadian farmers grow.“We encourage Canadians to buy Canadian agriculture as it will contribute to a nutritious and balanced diet and healthy lifestyle,” he said. “Additionally, when Canadian consumers purchase Canadian agriculture they are supporting Canadian farmers and their families.”Chris White, President of the Canadian Meat Council (CMC), said the new Food Guide “highlights what we've known for decades, that a quarter of your plate should be protein. Lean red meat provides Canadians with high-quality protein, B vitamins, iron, zinc and other essential nutrients – it's a healthy choice in a balanced diet.”The old Food Guide offered the same advice “to enjoy lean red meat with lots of vegetables, fruit and whole grains,” he said. “It's refreshing that the Food Guide is focusing on how to eat, not just what to eat.”While some interpret the Guidelines as a directive to eat less meat, Mary Ann Binnie, a CMC nutrition expert, said, “Meat has benefits when added to diets that are largely plant-based by helping the body absorb nutrients, like iron and zinc.“Rather than splitting hairs over protein choices, Canadians need to focus on moderation and reducing the foods they're eating that are not part of the Food Guide – those energy-dense, nutritionally-lacking products like chips, pop, donuts, muffins, danishes, candy and chocolate bars,” she said.Dairy Farmers of Canada said it's concerned the Guidelines don't reflect “the most recent and mounting scientific evidence available. There is abundant research that demonstrates that milk products with various fat content can be a part of healthy diet.“While the food guide has changed, milk products continue to play a valuable role in helping Canadians make healthy-eating decisions on a daily basis,” Isabelle Neiderer, DFC Director – Nutrition & Research, said. “Current and emerging scientific evidence does not support a continued focus on lower fat milk products as it reveals that milk products that contain more fat are not associated with harmful health effects and could even provide benefits.”Ron Lemaire, President of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association, said the Guidelines recognize “that fruits and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet.”A 2016 report said 80 per cent of Canadians do not consume enough fruits and vegetables for proper health and CPMA hopes the new Guidelines “will further alert Canadians to their current deficit in fruit and vegetable consumption.”Gordon Bacon, CEO of Pulse Canada, said the food industry is already moving toward more plant protein products. The issue should be what Canada needs “to hold a competitive edge in meeting food company and consumer needs going forward?“There should be no debate about an outcome of needing to improve health as we are moving in the wrong direction,” he said. The world needs to feed 9 to 10 billion people in a few decades with a sustainable food system. “There will be debate on how but speed is important too.”Michi Furuya Chang, Registered Dietitian and Senior Vice President of Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs with Food and Consumer Products Canada, which represents large processors, said, “Canadians should be limiting their intake of nutrients of concern, such as sodium, sugar and saturated fats.“However, categorizing food as highly processed unfairly vilifies food that can be part of a healthy diet and that many Canadians rely upon as a convenient, affordable, safe and nutritious option,” she said. “Food processing has an important place within Canada's food system and will continue to supply safe, convenient and non-perishable foods.Alex Binkley is a freelance journalist and writes for domestic and international publications about agriculture, food and transportation issues. He's also the author of two science fiction novels with more in the works.