Happy Nutrition Month 2018! This year, our team of dietitians and volunteers are working together across all Providence sites to help to “Unlock the Potential of Food”. Through our media writing, patient education, staff engagement, and health promotion efforts, we hope to demonstrate that food has incredible power to fuel, to engage children in discovery, to prevent, to heal, and to bring us together. Thank you for joining us in this journey!
Canadian families are busy.
Often, meals look like this: someone is standing at the counter, eating directly from the bowl, while another is watching TV, someone is looking at their phone and not focussed on what is on their plate.
By unlocking the potential of food, we value each person’s connection to what they are eating, and with whom they are sharing that special meal.
The power of eating together
Julia Child has said: “People who love to eat are always the best people.”
No matter who we call our family, eating together with those you care about can actually improve our health and well-being:
- From children to older adults, we see that the communal table helps prevent malnutrition in any form, whether it’s obesity or underweight.
- Not only that, sharing a meal can help lower the risk of eating disorders in children and improve intake of health foods like fruits and vegetables.
- Teenagers who eat with their families have better grades, and are less likely to engage in risky behaviours.
Not sure where to start?
Try sharing one meal a week with your friends or family and take the Nutrition Month Challenge:
- Listen to each other with an open heart and an open mind
- Allow each person to choose what and how much to eat from the foods offered at the table
- Start the conversation by sharing something positive about your day
For a great communal table dish, check out this easy chicken curry recipe.
Be part of Nutrition Month activities at Providence this March:
- To Unlock the Potential of Food, visit us at our Nutrition Booth on March 6, March 12, March 21, and March 27 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. to spin the wheel and sample some delicious foods!
- Support your knowledge of nutrition by playing our Jeopardy game, which will happen throughout the month of March at all our Providence Sites.
- Access great recipes and menu planning tips through the Nutrition Month App, Cookspiration, and eaTracker, at www.dietitians.ca/gettheapps.
- Tweet about your goals and achievements with #Nutritionmonth.
