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by author Michelle Hancock
“How are you going to observe National Nutrition Month?” The question, posed to a group of successful, health-oriented women in an informal poll, drew conversation to a halt. Susan, a full-time writer with a law degree, finally asked into the silence, “Uh, when is it?”
When told Canadians are asked to focus on nutrition and healthy lifestyles during the month of March, Susan started the responses coming with, “Well, I already eat really well. Maybe I’ll go to McDonald’s.”
This is not the kind of response Canadian dietitians are hoping to hear during the Dietitians of Canada 2009 “Stay Active. Eat Like a Champion” campaign, with festivities across Canada. Still, according to a recent poll, Canadians do want to eat healthier.
From the ground up
We’re paying increased attention to how our foods are grown and processed, reported the Nielsen Company in a June 2008 Health and Wellness study series.
Sugar, fat, and salt top the list of ingredients consumers know to avoid. Sixty percent of Canadian households had purchased organic products in the previous year.
Seven in 10 households know about the benefits of probiotics. One in three households report trying to incorporate omega-3 essential fatty acids into their diets.
But are these initiatives enough? No, suggests the new Tracking Nutrition Trends VII survey by the Canadian Council of Food and Nutrition (CCFN). Despite the fact that eight out of 10 Canadians consider themselves knowledgeable on the subject of food, we’re, well, actually confused—no doubt perpetuated by (often contradictory) information from friends and media.
On the plus side, the survey reports that Canadians choose foods to maintain good health (87 percent reported), boost energy, and manage weight (74 and 68 percent, respectively). We also know that fibre can help protect against high cholesterol and certain types of cancer, and that the omega-3s found in fatty fish, walnuts, and flaxseed are beneficial.
Canadian consumers
Arguably, however, most Canadians would give only hesitant responses during a nutrition quiz.
Whereas many Canadians are aware of food safety and cautious about imported food, we’re generally not concerned about eating foods that have a low-glycemic index, in which carbohydrates are slowly released as sugar into the bloodstream—the very foods we should try to eat more often.
According to the Tracking Trends survey, we do like to snack, which also helps keep blood sugar levels regular. But many of us skip breakfast, a no-no that affects brain function and messes with metabolism. Seventy-seven percent of us also tend to eat while multitasking—watching TV or using the Internet. The downside to saving time is that we tend to overeat.
We’re also a little sketchy on cholesterol facts, believing that cholesterol in foods such as meat and high-fat dairy is strongly related to high cholesterol in the body, which is actually due more to the effect of trans and saturated fats on the cholesterol-producing liver.
Only four in 10 Canadians take a multivitamin-mineral supplement, even though it is mainstream practice.
Despite all these survey results, we’re clearly improving. Yet Canadians still have a way to go nutrition-wise. What better time to make an extra effort than this March?
Nutrition at home
When asked how she would observe Nutrition Month, my mom gazed at me blankly for a moment. “Exercise more?” she asked, as if this were an exam. Not a bad answer, since exercise is, of course, a vital part of the healthy lifestyle that health experts the world over promote.
“Eat healthier,” said my sister Lorill, a sporty film industry assistant. Even better, if a little lacking in specifics.
Angie, my other spinach-loving sister, said, “I’m going to keep my green drink powder on the counter so I won’t forget it, no matter what my clean-freak husband says.”
The founders of Nutrition Month would be thrilled if all these ideas were put into practice.
Other people wanting to make that extra effort this month can pick from countless healthy eating trends. For one, functional foods are a hit. You’ve surely seen them around—eggs with omega-3s. Margarine with plant sterols. Yogourt with probiotics. Heck, we might as well get a few extra nutrients wherever we can.
This March, you might find Vancouver-based writer Michelle Hancock lurking at the health food store, carrying an apple and a clipboard. michellehancock.ca
Source: alive #317, March 2009
