Health committee  It would be one tool for sure. If Health Canada did contemplate that, it would be useful. There is certainly growth in nutrition-related eating apps. We have to be innovative in our approaches to addressing unhealthy diets and unhealthy lifestyles, so consideration of digital app

Health committee  I would just concur with my colleague that promoting the right carbs is definitely something we have to do. I would just point to an unfortunate situation from many, many years ago. Back in the late 1960s or 1970s, a researcher from Harvard University who received funding from t

Health committee  I would just add a few comments. I agree with my colleague. A multipronged approach is very important. With respect to public education and public awareness, I know that Health Canada is intent on developing a public awareness campaign. From what I understand, it will focus on p

Health committee  I will explain. With respect to 100% fruit juice, how is it processed and how is it developed? They get the juice from a fruit; it's squeezed out of it. It's then heated at very high levels to kill bacteria and effectively all the vitamins and minerals are removed when they do th

Health committee  Plain water and milk are what we would advise. We understand that, on rare occasions, Canadians may want to consume a sugary drink. We're not saying if that ever happened it is the end of the world. I think we all know if we were to do that on rare occasions, it's not an issue. B

Health committee  Our message at Heart and Stroke is to consume plain water and plain milk. We do understand that, if diet drinks with artificial sweeteners replaced all sugary drinks, there would be reduced harm to the population. That said, we don't promote diet drinks because we don't want to p

Health committee  I know there are concerns with sodium levels in heart failure patients, so I think the recommendations are slightly different for heart failure patients. To your point, a different approach has to be taken for sure, but I think with the population at large, for folks not living w

Health committee  I won't talk to the actual mechanisms of how plaque is developed in the arteries, but I will say that there is a whole slew of very solid evidence to indicate that unhealthy diets and poor nutrition are related to the development of heart disease and stroke.

Health committee  Plant-based, absolutely. If you look at the Mediterranean diets or other diets that focus on plant-based sources, there is an association with improved heart health. As I mentioned in my testimony, this is not necessarily at the exclusion of some animal proteins. We know you can

Health committee  Just to clarify, there are certain types of fruit juices, for example, 100% grape juice. There are some products of grape juice that have 33% more sugar than your regular Coca Cola product. Yes, there might be a small amount of minerals and vitamins in that fruit juice, but does

Health committee  I certainly think a number of things that the government and Health Canada are proposing right now with the healthy eating strategy are going to help us achieve these targets. My colleague from Diabetes Canada did mention one thing, a levy on sugary drinks. That's not in the cu

Health committee  Certainly that's an issue. We have had an improvement in the nutrition facts table. It is going to be improved shortly. However, we also know, from a lot of research, that the nutrition facts table is not fully comprehensible to a lot of Canadians, especially folks who don't have

Health committee  Absolutely. The Heart and Stroke Foundation's position is that we should have restrictions on unhealthy food and beverage marketing to kids. There should be a national ban. It should be as comprehensive as possible. It should use a very strong nutrient profiling mechanism. It sho

Health committee  If I could take the first crack at that question, certainly we would encourage innovation in the food manufacturing sector to try to reduce the harm from some of their products. Research in that respect, and more responsibility from the food and beverage industry as well, would b

Health committee  Yes. We're living in an age of convenience, but with a little bit of planning and, as well, support from the government in terms of promoting a positive food environment, it can make it easier for these parents who are leading these hectic lifestyles to eat a little healthier.