March is Nutrition Month

Food Literacy

• When we talk about food literacy, we’re discussing having the knowledge, skills and attitudes to choose, grow and/or prepare food. Food Literacy also includes  understanding the impact of food choices for one’s body, health, the community and environment. It also extends to understanding food and nutrition labels, and cooking skills.  ​Do you struggle with food literacy? Did you know a dietitian on our team can help you with this? Book today!

What food skills are important to teach as a dietitian? 
At For the LOVE of FOOD, we believe that meal planning and basic cooking skills are so important to teach our clients.  Meal planning can provide you with the skills to eat healthier, reduce food waste and can save you time & money in the kitchen. Having basic cooking skills can allow you to get creative with your leftovers which ultimately saves you time, money and reduces food waste. With meal planning comes grocery shopping, but having a grocery list keeps you focused and saves time and money when ti comes to shopping.  If cooking is not your strong suit, enrolling in a cooking class is a worthwhile investment as it will provide you with the skills and confidence you need to begin cooking on your own. Often, clients who say they “hate cooking” end up loving it, once they’ve learned some skills and techniques. Are you looking to learn how to cook? Develop you cooking skills? Or just learn some quick and easy meals? Book a cooking class with our registered dietitian and Chef, Karyn Sunohara. 

Healthy:
This means that the food one has access to meets the nutritional needs of the family. For example, if a family member has celiac disease they should have access to gluten free food.

Planet Friendly:
With increasing amounts of waste and food waste, composting is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Recycling and using reusable bags, food containers, silicone or bees wax wrap instead of plastic wrap are also ways to help reduce the impact you have on the environment.

Culturally Appropriate:
Have you ever travelled somewhere exotic for a long period of time and found yourself craving your family favourites? Now, imagine living somewhere where you didn’t have access to culturally specific foods. Often, a large part of maintaining culture and heritage is through food.  this is especially important in  multicultural nation like Canada, and thus, being able to source culturally specific foods is crucial for food sovereignty.

 Food Security
Food Security means full-time access to sufficient, safe, healthy and nutritious food that meets the dietary needs and preferences of the consumer. With food and energy prices continuing to rise, this has been a challenge for many over the past 2-3 years. Did you know that globally, 1/3 of all the food produced goes to waste? That is a ton of waste added to landfills, but also food that could have been made into delicious meals!Here are some tips to help stretch your food budget further:

• Eat in season – In season foods are typically cheaper than out of season foods. Not sure whats in season? Here is a great resource . By eating seasonally, you also help to reduce your carbon footprint.
• Download FLIPP – FLIPP is an app that allows you to compare prices of items across different grocery stores. Most grocery stores offer price matching, which means that you can continue to shop at your proffered grocery store while still benefiting from possible cheaper prices else where.
• Flashfood App – Get up to 50% off at a grocery store location near you. Choose discounted food items and pay in the app. Pick up your items from the Flashfood zone in your grocery store, and quickly confirm your order with the customer service desk.
• Too Good To Go – Restaurants and grocery stores that partner with Too Good To Go will list products they have for sale at greatly discounted prices to prevent them from going to waste. 
• Good Food Box Community Program – This is a not-for-profit program that anyone can sign up for. Produce is provided at cost so it is significantly cheaper than buying direct from the grocery store. My family orders one large box a month, and I have calculated what it would have cost us from different grocery stores which can sometimes be double the cost of a Good Food Box. There are 3 different size boxes you can order:
  1. ​​Small Box $25 – for 20-25lbs of fresh fruits and vegetables 
  2. Medium Box $30 – for 30-35lbs of fresh fruits and vegetables 
  3. Large Box $35 – 40-45lbs of fresh fruits and vegetables