Canada and the United States are working on the same nutrition table.
A scientific group has developed a term to describe the amount of nutrients healthy people need every day. Dietary Reference Intake, or DRI, will replace the Recommended Nutrient Intake developed by Health Canada in 1990 and the American Recommended Dietary Allowance developed in 1989.
The DRI committee studied nutrients needed for healthy bones – calcium, vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus and fluoride. Bones grow and change throughout life and need nutrients to help prevent osteoporosis.
The most common food source of vitamin D is milk and fatty fish like salmon.
Good sources of magnesium are brown beans, milk products, meat products, grain products like oatmeal, and some fruits and vegetables like broccoli. Phosphorus is in milk and meat. Since few foods are rich in fluoride, this mineral is often added to a community’s drinking water.
Call a local health district or regional authority for a copy of Canada’s food guide.
