I am writing today to advocate for healthy eating - above and beyond Canada's Food Guide. Magazines, the Internet, and books regarding food and nutrition are often based only on what people eat and not how or why people eat what they do. Sure - what we eat is important but today I want to defend other aspects of healthy eating such as finding pleasure in the food we eat, accessing fresh and tasty local foods, and becoming skilled at eating.
Healthy eating can give us energy for life, enhance our immune system, minimize our risk factors for disease, regulate our hormones, and help us have clarity of thinking. ow do we get to this amazing health resource? For me - its being and raising skilled eaters in my home. It is about trusting ourselves with food, providing food for ourselves and our kids, and accepting how our bodies turn out in response to this.
Teaching my kids that food is a gift and to treat it with thankfulness and respect. Letting my kids be kids and have adventures at the table - even science experiments like what happens when you roll a cooked egg yolk across the table?
Healthy eating also involves knowing where your food comes from and purchasing safe, local, good quality food. I love to order from the local Good Food Box to increase variety in our diet and challenge myself to try new foods. Connecting ourselves and our families to the farmers who grow our food brings appreciation and understanding.
Visiting the Farmers' Market on Saturday is becoming a tradition and I am looking forward to taking the kids there this weekend. Lets focus on the broad range of skill-building programs in town such as community gardens, farm markets, and food buying clubs to celebrate our local community resources for healthy eating.
Thank you.
Elaine Paetkau
Prince George
