One of the passions I share with my mother-in-law is our love of food. Since meeting my husband, she has taught me much about Turkish food and cooking, which has provided a bond for our relationship.
In Canada, March is Nutrition Month and this year’s theme is: Simply Cook and Enjoy.
With growing time constraints and increasing ready-to-eat meals available at the store, Canadians are spending less time cooking. Ready-to-eat meals are not only less nutritious, but do not allow our younger generation the opportunity to learn how to cook. Not knowing how to cook severely limits your ability to eat healthy on a budget.
Brazil, who shares Canada’s expanding waistline, has recently released new dietary guidelines that emphasize behaviours rather than specific food groups and serving sizes. Here are some of the highlights:
• Prepare meals using fresh and staple foods.
• Use oils, fats, sugar and salt in moderation.
• Limit consumption of ready-to-eat and drink products
• Eat at regular mealtimes and pay attention to your food instead of multitasking.
• Eat with others whenever possible.
• Develop, practice, share, and enjoy your skills in food preparation and cooking.
• Decide as a family to share cooking responsibilities and dedicate enough time for healthy meals.
• When you eat out, choose restaurants that serve freshly made dishes. Avoid fast food chains.
• Be critical of food industry advertising.
Learning how to cook is an important life skill; especially when we live in an environment inundated with cheap, unhealthy, prepared foods. With inflation of the price of food at the grocery store, cooking from scratch is the only affordable way to eat healthy for many families. Cooking and mealtimes also have cultural importance. It provides a medium to pass on family traditions and recipes, to spend time together and to enjoy delicious food together!
-Serena Caner is a registered dietician who works at Shuswap Lake General Hospital.