Nutrition

Consumption of Vegetables and Fruits

In Ottawa:

• In 2017, 39% of students (Grades 7 to 12) ate vegetables and fruits less than three times daily. This is lower than students in the rest of Ontario (45%). [2]
  • Students in Grades 9 to 10 (38%) and 11 to 12 (46%) were more likely than students in Grades 7 to 8 (29%) to eat vegetables and fruits less than three times daily. [2] 

• In 2015/2016, one third (33%) of residents aged 12 years and older reported eating vegetables and fruits five times a day or more often, which was more than the rest of Ontario (27%). [3] 
  • Females (40%) were more likely than males (26%) to report eating vegetables and fruits five times a day or more often. [3]

Fast Food and Eating Out

In Ottawa:

• Overall, 92% of adults (aged 18+ years) reported that it was very or somewhat important to get nutritious food when choosing meals/snacks prepared outside the home in 2016. Post-secondary graduates (94%) were more likely to say that it was important to get nutritious food when choosing meals/snacks outside the home than other educational groups (no high school diploma: 84%, high school diploma or equivalent: 86%). [4]
• Just over half of adults (52%) rarely (less than twice a week or never) go to a restaurant, order takeout, eat fast food, or pick up ready-to eat foods. Thirty-six percent of residents do these activities frequently (three to six times a week) and twelve percent do these activities on an almost daily basis (seven or more times a week). [4]
• Of these four eating activities, the most frequently reported (3 or more times per week) were going to a restaurant (13%) and consuming fast food (8%). [4]
• Males (15%) were more likely than females (9%) to participate in these eating activities on an almost daily basis. [4]
• Adults 18 to 29 years of age (20%) were more likely than older adults (11% of adults 30 to 44 years of age; 10% of adults 45 to 64 years of age; and 8% of adults over 64 years of age) to participate in these eating activities on an almost daily basis. [4]

Sugar-Sweetened Beverages

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) include “soft drinks (soda or pop), fruit drinks, sports drinks, tea and coffee drinks, energy drinks, sweetened milks or milk alternatives, and any other beverages to which sugar has been added”. [5,6] Although sweetened milks and milk alternatives contain important nutrients and are nutritionally superior to soft drinks, adding sugar to milk and milk alternatives adds calories without improving the nutritional quality of the beverage. [7] Intake of SSBs is one of the dietary factors leading to increases in obesity and overweight rates and chronic disease in children and adults. [5,8-20]

Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption

Youth

• In 2017, 9% of Ottawa students (Grades 7 to 12) drank SSBs daily. This is similar to students in the rest of Ontario (11%). Students with low self-perceived socio-economic status (SES) (13%) were more likely than students with high self-perceived SES (7%) to drink SSBs daily. [2]
• Three-quarters (75%) of Ottawa students (Grades 7 to 12) drank at least one SSB each week, which is lower than students in the rest of Ontario (80%). [2]
• More than one in ten (12%) Ottawa students (Grades 7 to 12) had consumed at least one energy drink in the week prior to the survey. [2]

Adults

• In 2015, 27% of Ottawa adults (aged 18+ years) drank SSBs daily. The same rate of SSB consumption was reported for adults with children in the home. [4]
• Young adults aged 18 to 24 years were more likely to drink SSBs daily (41%) than any other age group (25 to 44 years: 27%, 45 to 64 years: 23%, 65+ years: 21%). [21]
• The top three SSBs consumed on a daily basis by Ottawa residents were [21]: 
  • chocolate milk/other flavoured milks/milk alternatives (10%),
  • regular pop (9%), and
  • hot chocolate/sweetened specialty coffee or tea (8%).
• The top three SSBs consumed at least once a week by Ottawa residents were [21]:
  • regular pop (39%),
  • hot chocolate/sweetened specialty coffee or tea (36%), and
  • chocolate milk/other flavoured milks/milk alternatives (29%).

Marketing of Unhealthy Foods and Drinks to Children and Youth

Marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks to children and youth can influence perceptions and food choices.  Unhealthy foods and drinks are defined as those that are high in sugar, salt, fat or calories.  In Ottawa, many residents perceive that marketing impacts food choices. When looking at marketing of unhealthy foods and drinks specifically [22]:

• Nine in ten agree that children and youth are targeted;
• Nine in ten agree that it affects their food choices;
• Three in four agree that it is mostly for products that are unhealthy;
• Three in four agree that it affects what they ask their parents or guardians to buy; and
• Nine in ten agree that it can cause health problems such as obesity in children and youth, or cause health problems later when they are adults.

Food Security

Food security exists “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” [23] A household is considered food insecure when the quality of its food is compromised or when food intake is reduced (e.g., skipping meals). Low income continues to be a barrier to achieving good health, being food secure, and living an active life.

For the most recent information on food security, please consult Ottawa Public Health's Food Insecurity webpage. 

In Ottawa:

• In 2021*, 89% of students in Grades 7 to 12 reported sometimes or never going to school or to bed hungry because there was not enough food in their home, which is the same as students across the rest of Ontario. [24]
• In Ottawa, household food insecurity has increased from 12% in 2021 to 24% in 2023. In 2023, one in four (24%) Ottawa households reported food insecurity, which was similar to the rest of Ontario (24%). [25]

*Note: Data for youth who reported going to bed or school hungry was not collected in the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey in 2023.

Please refer to the Mental Health, Addictions and Substance Use Health in the Community Dashboard on the "Do people live with opportunity and equality?" page for more information on food insecurity.

The Nutritious Food Basket

The Nutritious Food Basket (NFB) is a monitoring tool used to measure the minimum cost of healthy eating for individuals and families in Canada. Ontario derives its own NFB survey to support consistent data collection at a local level. Each year Ottawa Public Health conducts the NFB survey. The survey measures the cost of basic healthy eating and is used to monitor the affordability and accessibility of healthy foods in Ottawa.

For more information, please visit: ottawapublichealth.ca/foodinsecurity

Awareness and Use of Canada’s Food Guide - Historical data

The 2007 Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide* provided an evidence-informed guide to help Canadians follow a healthy diet, which incorporates variety and flexibility. It helps Canadians understand the type and quantity of required foods, as well as the benefits of eating well and being active. [7]

In Ottawa:

• In 2015/16, 86% of residents (aged 12+ years) reported that they were aware of Canada’s Food Guide, with 59% of those reporting they have used the guide. Awareness varied by mother tongue language, with two-thirds (67%) of those with a mother tongue language other than English or French reporting they were aware of the guide compared to 94% of those with an English mother tongue and 96% of those with a French mother tongue. [3]
• While awareness of Canada’s Food Guide was similar for males (85%) and females (87%), among those that were aware, females (68%) were more likely to report using it than males (49%). [3]
• Among those who have used Canada’s Food Guide, almost half (46%) reported they have used it to assess how well they or their household were eating, 43% have used it to determine how much food to eat each day, 41% have used it to choose foods, and 34% have used it to plan meals or to help with grocery shopping. [3]

*Note: The 2007 Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide is no longer in use. 

References

1. Ottawa Public Health. The Price of Eating Well. Ottawa (ON). 2017.
2. Ottawa Public Health. Public Health Monitoring of Risk Factors in Ontario – Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) (2017), Centre for Addictions and Mental Health.

3. Ottawa Public Health. Canadian Community Health Survey 2015/16. Ontario Share File. Statistics Canada.

4. Ottawa Public Health. Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2016.

5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC Guide to Strategies for Reducing the Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages. 2010. 
6. Dieticians of Canada. Taxation and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages- Position of Dietitians of Canada. 2016. 
7. Health Canada. Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide. Ottawa, ON: Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Health Canada; 2011. 
8. Woodward-Lopez G, Kao J, Richie L. To what extent have sweetened beverages contributed to the obesity epidemic? Public Heal Nutr. 2011;14(3):499–509. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20860886

9. Committee on Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention, Food and Nutrition Board, Institute of Medicine. Accelerating Progress in Obesity Prevention: Solving the Weight of the Nation. 2012. Available from: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/13275/accelerating-progress-in-obesity-prevention-solving-the-weight-of-the

10. Ludwig DS, Peterson KE, Gortmaker SL. Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. Lancet. 2001;357(9255):505-8. Abstract available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11229668

11. Nicklas TA, Yang S, Baranowski T, Zakeri I, Berenson G. Eating patterns and obesity in children: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Am J Prev Med. 2003;25(1):9-16. Abstract available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12818304 

12. Malik VS, Schulze MB, Hu FB. Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84:274-88. Abstract available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1689587

13. Vartanian L, Schwartz M, Brownell K. Effects of soft drink consumption on nutrition and health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Public Health. 2007;97(4):667-75. Abstract available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17329656

14. Malik VS, Pan A, Willett WC, Hu FB. Sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain in children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 2013;98(4):1084-102. Abstract available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23966427

15. Fung TT, Malik B, Rexrode KM, Manson JE, Willett WC,Hu FB. Sweetened beverage consumption and risk of coronary heart disease in women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89(4):1037-42. Abstract available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19211821

16. Appel LJ, Sacks FM, Carey VJ, Obarzanek E, Swain JF, Miller ER, et al. Effects of protein, monounsaturated fat, and carbohydrate intake on blood pressure and serum lipids: results of the OmniHeart randomized trial. JAMA. 2005;294:2455-66. Abstract available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16287956

17. Dhingra R, Sullivan L, Jacques PF, Wang TJ, Fox CS, Meigs JB, et al. Soft drink consumption and risk of developing cardiometabolic risk factors and the metabolic syndrome in middle-aged adults in the community. Circulation. 2007;116(5):480-8. Abstract available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17646581

18. Malik VS, Popkin BM, Bray GA, Depres JP, Willett WC, Hu FB. Sugar-sweetened beverages and risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis. Diab Care. 2010 Nov;33(11): 2477-83. Abstract available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20693348

19. Schulze MB, Manson JE, Ludwig DS, Colditz GA, Stampfer MJ, Willett WC, et al. Sugar-sweetened beverages, weight gain, and incidence of type 2 diabetes in young and middle-aged women. JAMA. 2004;292(8):927-34. Abstract available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15328324

20. Malik VS, Hu FB. Fructose and Cardiometabolic Health: What the Evidence From Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Tells Us. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2015;66(14):1615-24. Abstract available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26429086

21. Ottawa Public Health. Rapid Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2016.
22. Ottawa Public Health. Results of Consultations for Marketing of Unhealthy Foods and Beverages to Children and Youth in Ottawa, 2017
23. Food and Agriculture Organization. Report of the World Food Summit. 2002. [cited 2018 Jun 14]. 
24. Ottawa Public Health. Public Health Monitoring of Risk Factors in Ontario – Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) (2021), Centre for Addictions and Mental Health.
25. Public Health Ontario. Household Food Insecurity Snapshot, 2018- 2023.