March 2006
25th Anniversary of Dietitians of Canada Nutrition Month® Campaign
(information taken from www.dietitians.ca)
March 2006 marks the 25th Anniversary of the Dietitians of Canada’s Nutrition
Month® Campaign. This year’s theme is “Make Wise Food Choices Wherever
You Go.” The theme reinforces the importance of healthy eating whether
you’re at work, making choices for your family at the grocery store, or
dining out. In celebration of the event, a special “Get Caught” initiative
will take place in food retail locations across Canada during March. Dietitians
will be on the look-out to “catch” consumers reading food labels in grocery
stores and to let them know they have been “caught” making wise food choices.
It will be an opportunity for Canadians to ask dietitians their nutrition
labelling and healthy eating questions in person, and have their name
entered for prize draws.
“Food is available everywhere and Canadians are eating out more than ever” explains Mary Sue Waisman, RD, National Nutrition Month® spokesperson for Dietitians of Canada. “With this kind of lifestyle, it is increasingly important that we know how to make wise food choices, wherever we go” she continues.
It is clear that Canadians are hungry for nutrition information. Nutrition and health are among the most important factors influencing people’s food choices. However, despite their interest and willingness to make healthful food choices, many Canadians find it difficult to do so, in part due to conflicting messages about healthy eating. Canadians are looking for clear, trusted advice to help them make informed choices about the nutrient content of the foods they buy.
For the 25th Anniversary of the Nutrition Month® dietitians will be serving
up just the kind of reliable nutrition information you need to make the
right choices! Here are their suggestions for getting involved:
Get Caught! During March, keep your eyes peeled for dietitians in grocery
stores who will be making themselves available to answer your questions.
You can recognize them by their Nutrition Month® aprons and name tags.
Visit the Nutrition Month® website at www.dietitians.ca/eatwell to find
store times and locations.
Put Nutrition Labels and the ingredient listing at the top of your reading
list! Take advantage of the fact that standardized nutrition labelling
is now mandatory on most pre-packaged food. Use the % Daily Value, which
is found in the Nutrition Facts Table, to compare foods and see if a food
has a lot or a little of a nutrient. To learn more about nutrition labelling
and visit a Virtual Grocery Store, go to Healthy Eating is in Store for
You™ (www.healthyeatingisinstore.ca)
Visit the most popular nutrition website in Canada: www.dietitians.ca/eatwell.
It has so much to offer. Review this year’s Nutrition Month® Factsheets
on Supermarket Smarts, Eating Out Smarts and Crossword Puzzle and find
out about local Nutrition Month® events. Sign up to receive regular updates
from Dietitians of Canada.
Get a personal assessment of your daily food and activity choices with
“EATracker”, find meal planning help with “Let’s Make
a Meal”, enter the “Get Caught Scavenger Hunt.” All
are at www.dietitians.ca/eatwell.
If you don’t have access to a computer, contact the dietitian at your
public health department, hospital or community health centre for more
information about Nutrition Month® activities or to get a copy of the
Nutrition Month® factsheets. Check out the March issue of Chatelaine for
the tear sheet LSI – Label Scene Investigator
Are you looking for individual nutrition counselling? With a doctor’s
referral you may be able to get counselling from a dietitian in a health
setting. Some company health plans also cover the services of a dietitian.
Check with your place of employment. The Dietitians of Canada Consulting
Dietitians Network helps you access dietitians who provide fee-for-service
counselling. Contact them at 1-888-901-7776.
During the 25th anniversary of Nutrition Month®, and all year round, Canadian
dietitians look forward to helping you make wise food choices, wherever
you go. Get the facts from a source you can trust.
This year’s campaign is made possible through the sponsorship of Campbell
Company of Canada, Eurest-Chartwells-Morrison of Compass Group Canada,
Dairy Farmers of Canada and General Mills Canada Corporation.
Media Contact: Leslie DePodesta, Nutrition Innovations
Phone: 905-690-1106 or 1-888-255-8016 e-mail:
l.depodesta@sympatico.ca
Recipe of the Month:
Banana Bran MuffinsWhat You Need:
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup natural bran
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup mashed banana (~2-3 bananas)
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
2 tbsp molasses
3/4 cup raisins
*Sour milk by adding 1 tbsp. vinegar into 1/2 cup milk
How You Prepare:
Mix oil, brown sugar and egg together. Stir in mashed banana, buttermilk/sour
milk and molasses. Add dry ingredients and raisins and stir just until
moistened. Fill 12 muffin cups 3/4 full of batter. Bake 375 degrees F
for 20 to 25 minutes.
Variation: add 1/3 cup chopped nuts.
Makes 12 servings:
Per Serving:
Calories 205
Carbohydrates 34 g
Protein 4 g
Fat 7 g
Dietary Fiber 4 g