Nourish to flourish: A look at nutrition, costs, and trends in Canadians’ health

March is Nutrition Month in Canada, and this year’s theme is Nourish to Flourish. Food plays an important role in everyone’s life and is essential to all aspects of our health and well-being. From physical and mental health to social and cultural connections, we nourish to flourish. 

When it comes to our health and well-being, there are countless factors to consider. While we can’t cover them all, we have enough room on today’s plate to touch on a few.

Nourish with fruits and vegetables 

From the youngest to the oldest, nourishing with the right foods is essential for maintaining good health. One way to do this is by filling your plate with plenty of fruits and vegetables. 

From 2015 to 2021, the percentage of adults who reported eating fruits or vegetables five or more times per day declined. However, the proportion remained stable from 2021 (21.8%) to 2023 (21.6%).

Fruit and vegetable consumption varied by age. In 2023, the share of adults who reported consuming fruits or vegetables five or more times per day was highest among Canadians aged 65 and older (24.5%) and lowest among younger adults aged 18 to 34 (17.6%). 

The cost of healthy eating 

Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is easier said than done—consistently buying fresh fruits and veggies can get expensive. The cost of food has long been a challenge for many, but in recent years, the situation has become even more pressing. In 2022, prices for food purchased from stores increased to a 40-year high, putting a strain on budgets.

The affordability struggle is at the heart of food insecurity, which refers to insecure or inadequate access to food because of financial constraints. In 2022, 16.9% of Canadians were food insecure (moderate or severe), compared with 12.9% in 2021. 

Read on to learn more about Canadians facing higher levels of food insecurity.

Skipping the sugary drinks 

A study based on the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth data found that Canadian children and youth aged 3 to 17 years drank sugary drinks an average of 5.2 times in the week prior to the survey. Youth aged 12 to 17 years drank sweetened coffee or tea and sweetened iced coffee or iced tea an average of 1.5 times in the week prior to the survey. 

Making water your drink of choice can be beneficial for your wallet and for your body. Read more about how replacing sugary drinks with water can have an impact on your overall health.

Taking a look at trends in the health of Canadians 

At every age, fuelling our bodies with proper nutrition has many benefits for our overall well-being and longevity. Following three consecutive years of decline, Canada’s life expectancy at birth rose from 81.3 years in 2022 to 81.7 years in 2023.

Despite this increase in life expectancy, Canadians’ perception of their health has declined. For each year from 2015 to 2020, roughly 60% Canadian adults reported their health as very good or excellent.

However, this percentage began to drop in 2021 (to 58.8%), and in 2023, just over 5 in 10 Canadian adults reported their health as very good or excellent (52.2%). The decline in very good or excellent perceived health since 2021 has been especially prominent among those aged 65 and older, from nearly 50% in 2021 to 40.5% in 2023.

Consult the new Health of Canadians, 2024 report to find the latest data and analysis of key health indicators across several sociodemographic characteristics.