Creating "Plates" to Evaluate Canadians' Dietary Intake in Relation to the 2019 Canada's Food Guide.

Purpose: Explore Canadians' dietary intake in relation to the 2019 (CFG) Plate using novel volume-based food analyses, by age and meal occasion.

Methods: Foods reported in 24-hour recalls by 20,456 Canadians in the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey - Nutrition were classified as: Vegetables and Fruits, Whole Grain Foods, Protein Foods, Non-Whole Grain Foods or Other Foods (high in fat, sugar, sodium). Food volumes were used to calculate percent contributions of each grouping to total intake, stratified by age (1-6; 7-12; 13-17; 18-64; 65+years) and meal (breakfast, lunch, supper, snack), applying sample survey weights and bootstrapping.

Results: By volume, the Canadian population diet included: 29% Vegetables and Fruits, 22% Protein Foods, 7% Whole Grains, 24% Non-Whole Grain Foods, and 18% Other Foods. Intakes of Protein Foods (1-6 years) and Other Foods (7-12; 13-17 years) were higher in children than adults by volume, relative to total intake. Whole Grains intake was highest at breakfast. Other Foods intake was highest at snack.

Conclusions: The volume-based population diet of Canadians reported on a single day includes a substantial proportion of non-recommended foods. There are opportunities to design interventions that target specific foods, ages, and meals to align intake with recommendations.