Post-Christmas shock

With all the Christmas goodies put away for another year, the cry can be heard worldwide, "My God, look how big I am!"

This means a mad rush to sign up for fitness centres, take a little extra walk, go for a swim, or hit that treadmill for a spin around the house - a phenomeon that will last maybe two or three weeks for most people.

However, there is a better way than the fitness shock treatment, and it's similar to ensuring your car, boat or snowmobile works at its optimum level - it's called using a proper maintenance program.

In Canada, this human maintenance program comes in the form of Canada's Food Guide, or as it's known as today, Eating Well Canada's Food Guide.

For many, Canada's Food Guide was a multi-coloured chip-and-dip platter centered by a smiling sun that provided nutritional information most of us can remember from the 1980s, or maybe the four-colour rainbow graphic of the 1990s.

But this is gone.

Just a few years ago, government spent millions of dollars to create a red, green, blue and yellow pathway to lead Canadians to nutritional bliss.

Actually, the evolution of the food guide, which was started in 1942 and known simply as Official Food Rules, is a good indicator in the eating lifestyle changes of Canadians, having grown from a society of shortages - i.e. wartime - to one with excesses.

Back then, during wartime rationing, and when it was even harder for people to get all the nutrients they needed, it suggested everyone should have "liver, heart or kidney once a week," and a daily serving of potatoes.

Two years later, it added beans, peas and nuts to its meats and fish category, while moving eggs and cheese, which Canadians were suppose to indulge in at least three times per week, into the same category. Another recommendation, and no doubt it turned up a few noses and resulted in more than one standoff between parent and child, was a daily dose of fish liver oil.

Almost 20 years ago, another version hit the streets, and with wartime malnutrition gone by the wayside, it seemed to focus more on what formed the perfect diet, with a wide range of recommended servings. For example, five to10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, no matter what age or gender.

The newest guide does improve on its breakdown of daily nutrients by giving amounts for children, teens and adults, as well as giving a wider range of foods. Government also realized some Canadians now enjoy tofu and soy products more than meat and milk.

Therefore, a more all-around nutritional maintenance plan than ever before, and if used properly over the next 11 months can have your mind thinking, and your body adjusted, to making healthy alternative choices come next Christmas.

Hence, there will be no need for post-Christmas fitness shock treatment that, for the majority, goes by the wayside after just a few weeks.

So, as you would get maintenance checks done for your motor vehicles, do the same for you're your own operating system - check the Eating Well Canada's Food Guide every so often to see if you require any fine tuning.

Here's to a healthy and happy 2010.