March is Nutrition Month There is growing concern about the loss of cooking skills among Canadians of all ages. Shifting values, meeting work--home life demands and over-reliance on pre-prepared meals are just a few of the factors that translate into poor diets. Yet everyone—absolutely everyone, enjoys a good home-cooked meal.
Evidence suggests that children who are involved in meal preparation and enjoy meals with their families have healthier diets. So in 2014, the Dietitians of Canada invited Canadians to rediscover their kitchens as part of their March is Nutrition Month campaign. The campaign featured 31 ready-to-go practical cooking tips to enjoy healthy eating at home. In 2015, Nutrition Month focussed on Tips and Tricks by Dietitians of Canada can be found here.
We support all efforts undertaken by Dietitians of Canada that foster healthy eating. We believe "health is the new wealth". And nothing can replace the feeling that comes with health and well-being. Just ask any sick person.
So look out for Nutrition Month activities in your area. Renew your relationship with nutrition.
Evidence suggests that children who are involved in meal preparation and enjoy meals with their families have healthier diets. So in 2014, the Dietitians of Canada invited Canadians to rediscover their kitchens as part of their March is Nutrition Month campaign. The campaign featured 31 ready-to-go practical cooking tips to enjoy healthy eating at home. In 2015, Nutrition Month focussed on Tips and Tricks by Dietitians of Canada can be found here.
We support all efforts undertaken by Dietitians of Canada that foster healthy eating. We believe "health is the new wealth". And nothing can replace the feeling that comes with health and well-being. Just ask any sick person.
So look out for Nutrition Month activities in your area. Renew your relationship with nutrition.
Ontario Bill 162 Requests Calorie Information on Food Menu
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On Monday February 24, 2014, the Ontario legislative assembly approved the first reading of Bill 162 Making Healthier Food Choices Act, 2014.
The act, if enacted, would require chains of 20 or more food service premises in Ontario to display the calorie count for standard food and beverage items and alcohol on menus. The proposed legislation would also authorize public health inspectors to enforce these requirements. According to Deborah Matthews, Minister of health, this legislation would help people make informed decisions when eating out or purchasing take-away meals. Although not dismissive of the need to tackle the obesity problem in Ontario, MPP Christine Elliott pointed out that the information is already out there. This legislation may be a solution in search of a problem. MPP France Gelinas, reminded the group, that she has been working on this issue since 2009. Gelinas introduced the Healthy Decision for Healthy Eating Act Bill 156 back in 2009, and subsequently introduced Bill 90 and Bill 86. At that time, the Bills 156 and 90 asked for restaurants with 5 premises and gross sales of $5 M to display calories, while Bill 86 added the need to disclose the sodium content. The House prorogued on these three counts. |
Bill 149, her latest effort, called Healthy Decisions
Made Easy passed second reading a week before the first reading of Bill
162. MPP Gelinas, believes that the current proposed Bill 162 does not
go far enough.
Although Bill 162 is packed with good intention, we at nutritionSage believe the proposed legislation which focusses on calories only does adequately tackle the obesity epidemic. Regulating obesity without sufficient evidence that it will achieve the desired outcome is barking up the wrong tree and a waste of valuable time and resources. Identification of groups at risk or in need of assistance and education is our preferred means. Let’s get to the root cause of the problem, engage a variety of stakeholders, identify the groups that need assistance along the food supply chain--in this case food service providers and their customers--and develop programs that will lead to and support healthier food choices by all. A one size fits all calorie count approach is just not the way to go. If you are looking for assistance to help you develop effective programs, call us now at 647-342-4672 |
Ministry of Ontario introduces School Food Policy
Ontario has introduced its School Food and Beverage Policy that includes nutrition standards for food and beverages sold in schools. The policy will apply to food and beverages sold in all venues on school property such as cafeterias, vending machines and tuck shops; through all programs, including catered lunch programs; and at all events on school property, including bake sales and sport events.
The policy was announced in January 2010 and takes effect on September 1, 2011. However, schools are encouraged to consider implementing the policy as soon as possible.This is part of a broader effort to develop healthier learning environments and improve student achievement since research has shown that children who eat a healthy diet are more ready to learn and more likely to be successful in school.
If you have not yet implemented the policy, we can help you to do so. Call us now at 647-342-4672.
Ontario has introduced its School Food and Beverage Policy that includes nutrition standards for food and beverages sold in schools. The policy will apply to food and beverages sold in all venues on school property such as cafeterias, vending machines and tuck shops; through all programs, including catered lunch programs; and at all events on school property, including bake sales and sport events.
The policy was announced in January 2010 and takes effect on September 1, 2011. However, schools are encouraged to consider implementing the policy as soon as possible.This is part of a broader effort to develop healthier learning environments and improve student achievement since research has shown that children who eat a healthy diet are more ready to learn and more likely to be successful in school.
If you have not yet implemented the policy, we can help you to do so. Call us now at 647-342-4672.
Hot off the press...
Nutrition is an evolving science. New information is published in scientific journals daily.
Here's what we want to share with you today! Fecal Transplant What?...you may ask! Well, researchers saw a 90% recovery in the health of patients whose intestine were colonized by pathogenic bacteria -- by inserting a diluted sample of stool from a healthy person. Patients that were previously unable to keep pathogenic bacteria in check were free of diarrhea and other discomforts within 2 days of fecal transplant. The practice of fecal transplant however is not widespread, mostly because of the "ick" factor. The treatment shows promise in eliminating the toxin producing Clostridium Difficile. Recent interest in the influence of gut flora on the rest of the body, including obesity, anxiety, depression will likely lead to broader application of fecal bacteriotherapy. Clinical trials have already begun in Canada. Scientific American, December 2011 Pre-Probiotics When it comes to digestive health, "pre and pro" biotics are gaining in popularity. Prebiotics are defined as a non-viable food component that confers a health benefit on the host associated with modulation of the microbiota (intestinal flora). Probiotics are live micro-organisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit to the host. Although fermented dairy products such as yogurt and kefir are typically associated with delivery of "beneficial cultures", the types of foods claiming to deliver probiotics has expanded to include granola and candy bars, frozen yogurt, cereal, juice and cookies. In Canada, two types of probiotic claims can be made on food: strain-specific claims and non-strain-specific claims. At the present time, no strain-specific claims have been accepted by Health Canada. Non-strain-specific claims are statements about the nature of probiotics. Claims you may see on a label include: "Provides live microorganisms... - that naturally form part of the gut flora." - that contribute to healthy gut flora." Since different strains of probiotics may have different beneficial functions... "VARIETY IS THE BEST STRATEGY!" Obesity Worldwide obesity has more than doubled since 1980. 65% of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. (WHO) In "Scientific American" (Feb 2011), David Freedman explores how we might be able to fix the obesity crisis. And although many factors contribute to the problem, including the environment, genetic predisposition, economics and marketing to name a few, Freedman proposes that mass behaviour change maybe our best shot at fixing it. And with increasing support by scientists, policy makers and the industry, there just may be hope! |
In our opinion...
There is way too much attention given to individual foods in the diet and not enough attention given to the "TOTAL DIET."
We are not convinced that "Food rating systems" on labels provide a full understanding of a single food's contribution to healthy eating. Consider the following. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Are apples healthy? "Yes" or "no"? Yes, apples contribute some of the nutrients we need to maintain health...but they do not provide all the nutrients we need. So in fact, the answer is also "NO". Apples cannot be considered healthy when that's all one eats. When it comes to achieving health it's the TOTAL DIET that counts. When you see a "checkmark" or "logo" on a food label that implies "greater health", think twice! Ask yourself, "What does the checkmark really mean?" Many foods do not have "checkmarks or logos", yet they contribute many essential nutrients to the total diet. Remember BALANCE is achieved over time. So when assessing your diet, examine the TOTALITY of your food choices for the day and overtime--a week for example. Then you might want to assess the key nutrients provided by these foods against a standard. Using Canada's Food Guide as a standard to benchmark food choices is a good start. Let's not underestimate the value of this simple tool! When you have gone off-track on any given day, just make allowances! Either plan ahead or readjust your food choices over the next few days. REMEMBER, it's all about adequate nutrient intake, balance, variety, moderation and ENJOYING food. Are you getting the amount of Calories and nutrients you need to maintain or enhance your health? If you have been able to maintain your weight within a healthy range then you can assume that the amount of food you are eating is adequate for you. Measuring nutrient intake for adequacy is not as simple. If you generally feel energetic, are active, healthy and eat a variety of wholesome foods based on Canada's Food Guide on a regular basis, then you are probably doing just fine. Only a thorough assessment of your diet will answer your question along with blood work. In the meantime, check out what experts are saying about the latest nutrient requirements. Restoring health can be trickier! To restore health requires a good understanding of what led to the health condition or disease in the first place. You will need an objective assessment with hard data. And you will need to look at: What happened? When? Why? Of course the bigger questions include:
Managing diet and dietary changes can be daunting, They require knowledge and know-how. nutritionSage.com can help! |