During this time, society’s focus was put on the health and well-being of Canadian citizens and this led to nutritional standards and improvements being created. A Canadian dietary standard was created in December 1948 with the intention to help citizens plan their food supply/intake and become aware of the amount of nutrients a person needs based on their body and physiology. The standard argued that “more” nutrients was not always “better” and that having more did not necessarily make you adequately nourished. It was a revolutionary food standard for its time, as it discussed the five major food groups and how/why each food group was needed to ensure an individual was healthy and receiving the appropriate amount of nutrients. These five food groups have remained the same to this day (i.e., milk, fruit, vegetables, cereals and bread, and meat and fish), however, the food guide also mentioned the importance of “sweet foods” and believed that sweet foods were necessary in order to account for extra calories needed. Sweet foods were also believed to be a necessity because they were very popular and essential for a successful meal. The standard even contained recommendations and tips for receiving the right amount of nutrients through a suggested food menu for each day of the week. This food menu included food options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and had a different focus each day (e.g., Monday’s dinner would have specifically a green vegetable and Tuesday’s dinner would specifically have a yellow vegetable). The dietary food standard of 1948 was very advanced and educational and could be bought by Canadian citizens for $1.00 per copy.

After World War II, concern was also focused on the morality and stability of the family. Canadian women in the 1940s were the heart of the home and were responsible for cooking, cleaning, and childcare. Many war brides were coming over to Canada with their children and Canadian citizens began to fear for the future of society, thinking that their way of life might be changing (e.g., different foods from European countries and different customs being introduced). For this reason, programs such as cooking classes, sermons, and health interventions were implemented for Canadian women (including immigrant women new to Canada) to reinforce the Canadian ideals of household management, childcare, and food customs. A well-balanced Canadian meal was considered one of the most important aspects that had to be taught to new Canadian women.

It is obvious that the health and well being of Canadian citizens, the morality of citizens, and the stability of the family were all extremely important during the 1940s. All of these reasons would have influenced the making of the cookbook Salads – All the Year ‘Round, which was published in 1949. This cookbook’s sole focus is on salads and ensuring the health of all family members. With the first dietary food guide being released in 1948, releasing a cookbook that focused specifically on salads almost guaranteed success. The cookbook also helped reinforce gender roles within society, as it contains sayings about pleasing the man of the house and how the appearance of the salad is what makes it successful (reinforcing the idea of appearance and entertainment).