Is Canada's Food Guide making us obese?

Grocery store owner Gilles Robin works on his fruits vegetable display Tuesday Nov. 28 2006 in the Breakeyville, a suburb of Levis Que. (CP PHOTO/Jacques Boissinot)

Canada's Food Guide is coming under fire as the country grapples with obesity rates that have doubled among adults and tripled among children since 1980.

American investigative journalist Nina Teicholz, author of "The Big Fat Surprise," told a Canadian Senate committee in March that the food guide has failed Canadians by emphasizing carbohydrates over animal proteins and healthy fats.

The latest version of Canada's Food Guide recommends that adult males eat eight servings of grain products, up to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables, and two servings of lean meats, or meat alternatives, daily.

The guide also advises Canadians to trim visible fat from meat, limit butter, cook without or with little added fat.

Dr. William Davis, a U.S.-based cardiologist and author of "Wheat Belly," agrees that Canada’s Food Guide has done little to curb the obesity epidemic, as nearly two-thirds of Canadian adults and one third of children are obese or overweight.

Davis said obesity, Type 2 diabetes and auto-immune diseases are "man-made" creations, and he recommends that Canadians completely remove all grains from their diet.

He said his clients who have cut out grains have not only lost weight, but they've also seen conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and hypertension significantly improve.

"What I am witnessing is a dramatic transformation of human health by removing all wheat, all grains, such as corn, rye, barley…in the human diet," Davis told CTV News Channel on Tuesday.

Dietitian warns against 'vilifying' certain foods

But dietitian Christy Brissette, says "vilifying" certain food groups is not helpful.

She said the low-fat food craze of 1990s in part contributed tothe obesity epidemic, by replacing fats in food with refined carbohydrates and sugars.

"It's no surprise that in making this change, we haven't seen too many improvements in some of these health epidemics," Brissette said.

She said while the food guide could provide Canadians with more detailed information about food choices, she doesn't believe Canada's Food Guide is what led to the obesity epidemic.

"It's ridiculous because obesity is multi-factorial," Brissette said. "There are lot of different lifestyle elements that are contributing to this trend.

"We can improve the food guide, but there needs to be a full, multi-pronged approached to addressing obesity."

Brissette said she'd like to see the food guide highlight healthy fats such as nuts, avocados, olive oil and fatty fish.

She also said there’s no need to completely cut grains from your diet, as long as the portion sizes are reasonable.

"Balance that with healthy fats and lean proteins," she said. "There's really no evidence that including whole grains in the diet is harmful."