Most Frequently Consumed Red/Processed Meat Dishes and Plant-Based Foods and Their Contribution to the Intake of Energy, Protein, and Nutrients-to-Limit among Canadians

Abstract

Using cross-sectional data from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey–Nutrition, we aimed to identify and characterize the top 10 most frequently consumed plant-based foods and red/processed meat dishes in the Canadian population. Plant-based foods and red/processed meat dishes categories included 659 and 265 unique food codes, respectively, from the Canadian Nutrient File. A total of 20,176 Canadian individuals aged ≥1 year were included in our analysis. The most frequently consumed plant-based food was “Cooked regular long-grain white rice”, which made a significant contribution to energy (12.1 ± 0.3%) and protein (6.1 ± 0.2%) intake among consumers. The most frequently consumed red/processed meat dish in Canada was “Cooked regular, lean or extra lean ground beef or patty”. Among red/processed meat dishes, “ham and cheese sandwich with lettuce and spread” made the most significant contribution to the intake of energy (21.8 ± 0.7%), saturated fat (31.0 ± 1.0%), sodium (41.8 ± 1.3%), and sugars (8.2 ± 0.5%) among the consumers. Ground beef is the most frequently consumed red/processed meat dish and white rice is the most frequently consumed plant-based food among Canadians. Red/processed meat dishes are major drivers of the excessive intake of nutrients-to-limit.