Key Takeaways

This chapter has provided you an overview about how to integrate Canada’s Food Guide 2019 into the nursing process. Some key takeaways include:

• Engage in reflexive and critical thinking on your own assumptions about what constitutes “healthy” eating, what values you place on certain foods, and how this could unintentionally influence your interactions with clients.
• Critically reflect on the role of social determinants of health within a client’s life when assessing and co-developing plans of care related to healthy eating.
• Avoid judgmental words such as “good” and “bad” when talking about healthy eating.
• Engage in respectful discussions with the client about their eating patterns.
• Recognize the limitations of the food guide as a prescriptive resource for health professions.
• Use a relational inquiry approach and be curious, open, and inquire about a client’s eating patterns and the cultural meanings.