THE APPLE
WHAT “UNLOCKING THE POTENTIAL OF FOOD” MEANS TO ME By: Shannon Carman
March is Nutrition Month and this year’s theme is “Unlocking the Potential of Food.” I connect with this theme at a personal level because not only has unlocking the potential of food allowed me to live a healthier lifestyle, but food has unlocked my own potential. I started my journey at Western University in the School of Health Studies. I am very passionate about health and love the program with all it offers. First year brought the unexpected of withdrawing from a course. It turns out chemistry was very difficult and not my forte. Little did I know that I would find my way back into the lecture hall for first-year chemistry two years later. I was adamite about replacing this lost course right away and I signed up for first year Food & Nutrition the summer after first year. At first, I saw this course as a replacement, but it turned out to be my greatest passion. I spoke to my professor about taking a few more classes and he mentioned that it was not to late to “jump ship” and transfer programs. At the time, I was a little offended at the suggestion, as my love for health studies runs deep. Upon finding out that I would have to revisit chemistry, I dropped the idea and told myself that it was not meant to be. I went through my second year of health studies, loving all my courses, but at the same time I felt like something was missing. I found myself working in a market kitchen the summer after second year and I loved being involved with food again. I loved everything about it: from preparing it, learning new recipes, and trying new things. I was reading about food in most of my free time, learning more about nutrients and the power which food has. I purchased a
book called “Foods that Harm, Foods that Heal,� which fostered my passion further through increasing my knowledge about the positive influence which food can have in our lives. This was the point which I decided that I need to act. I did not want to wake up in thirty years wishing that I was in a different career. I emailed academic counsellors in both Health Studies and at Brescia, where the Food and Nutrition program is offered, and began the process. One thing which was important to me was graduating from both Health Studies and Foods and Nutrition. I still love Health Studies, I just wanted to focus on the food aspect of health. I was introduced to the idea of completing a concurrent degree in both Health Studies and Foods and Nutrition, something which I did not know was possible, but the counsellors thought I may be a suitable candidate for, pending my competition of first year chemistry. I worked harder than I have ever before in third year, trying my absolute best to achieve my new goal. It was not easy to face chemistry again, but looking at it in a new light as the gate keeper to my dream program, I was able to do it. I have been working very closely with counsellors from both program and I have been lucky that I took a few courses in my first two years at Western which were required for the Foods and Nutrition module. I am very happy to be in a concurrent degree and studying two of my greatest passions. Together, these programs have given me a new direction and I have been more dedicated to my studies than ever before. Learning about food and health has unlocked my potential. Everyday, I see the potential food has and unlocking it further will be a continuing component in my life.
Cauliflower Fried "Rice" Sauce Ingredients 1 Tbsp sesame oil 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce 1 Tbsp brown sugar 1/8 tsp fresh grated ginger Punched red pepper flakes
Instructions
"Rice" Ingredients one heated claiflower, chopped into florets 1 small yellow onion, chopped 1 zucchini, sliced thin or spiralled into noodles 1/2 cup carrots, cubed 2 egg, beaten 2 Tbsp green onions, chopped 2 cloves of garlic 2 Tbsp olive oil
1. Chop head of cauliflower into small pieces and place in a blender 2. Cut up vegetables and mince garlic 3. Add all sauce ingredients to a bowl and whisk together 4. Add olive oil and minced garlic to a large wok and heat to medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent 5. Add all vegetables, except cauliflower and green onions, and saute until tender 6. Add in beaten eggs, scramble until thoroughly cooked. Once cooked mix in with vegetables 7. Add cauliflower into wok and poor sauce over top. Cook until cauliflower is soft and tender 8. Stir in green onions and serve Recipe from: http://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/healthy-cauliflower-friedrice/
5 Food Necessities for Students By: Shannon Carman
As finals are quickly approaching, it is important to prepare more than class notes, but also to ensure that fridges and pantries are well stocked with nutritious food to fuel efficient studying. It is a busy time of year and as a student I find the busier I get, the more likely I am to neglect activities such as grocery shopping to devote more time to studying. In preparation for finals, I ensure that I have healthy foods on hand that are high in recipe versatility, low in preparation time, and easily portable. Here are five food necessities which are essential in my kitchen during the busiest times of the year: 1. Frozen fruit: Frozen fruit is the star of my top five food necessities and it is definitely evident to my roommates, as the freezer is exploding at its seams with it (especially when it goes on sale). I also love picking and freezing Ontario strawberries. Local produce seasons can be too short and freezing extends enjoyment close until the next season comes around. Frozen fruit is extremely versatile and requires little time for preparation. It can be combined with a magnitude of other ingredients lying around in pantries and fridges to make smoothies. For example: orange juice, yogurt, almond milk, frozen or fresh greens, fresh fruits and vegetables, flax or chia seeds, and nut butters. Smoothies are portable and quiet for consuming on the silent floors of the library. Frozen fruit can also be used to top oatmeal, flavor water, or be enjoyed by itself. 2. Trail-Mixers: I always ensure that I have a mix of seeds, nuts, legumes, and dried fruit on hand during peak busy times. They are easy to put together in a trail mix and take anywhere. It is perfect for when study sessions are longer than expected and dinner hours ends up further away from lunch than anticipated. The combinations are endless you can include: dried fruit, varieties of nuts, and dark chocolate for example.
3. Rolled Oats: Rolled oats are extremely versatile and can be used both when time is available and when it is not. When there is time for preparation they can be used to make a variety of different baked granolas and energy clusters. These are easy to store and grab when on the go. When there is not as much time allotted, they can be used to quickly prepare oatmeal, overnight oats or added to smoothie. The flavour can be easily spiced up with cinnamon, ginger, frozen fruit, nuts, or nut butter. 4. Hummus: Another staple which is perfectly protable and comes in many flavours. It can be store bought or prepared with little time required since it requires a few ingredients and a blender. Hummus can be used as spread on sandwiches or as a dip for vegetables and crackers. 5. Apples: Apples require no preparation time and have a relatively long storage life in the refrigerator, They are easy to grab when running out the door and do not have to be cautiously stored in backpacks like other fruit. Apples can also be dipped in nut butters, and added to oatmeal or smoothies.
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Shopping on a Student Budget By: Nyla Maharaj Food is probably one of the most sacred words in the Western World’s vocabulary. Unfortunately, as a student- cooking is a lot easier said than done, and it all starts with the grocery shopping. Luckily grocery stores are abundant around campus and offer incentives geared exclusively towards students. Loblaws for example, offers students 10% off on Tuesdays with the presence of a PCOptimum Card and a student card. You might be wondering, “why add another card to add to an already stuffed wallet” – let me tell you! Yes the discount may only be available on Tuesdays, but no matter what day of the week you shop you can earn points towards free groceries through their rewards program. Additionally, Sobeys offers a student discount of 10% with the presence of an AirMiles card (which costs nothing to signup for) and a student card from Friday through till Sunday so you can shop at a time that’s convenient for you. We’ve all heard our parents say “it’s cheaper to cook at home than eat out”- I know I’ve heard my mom’s voice in the back of my mind from time to time, and boy is that ever true on a student budget.
So, here are some of my tips to stretch a dollar: 1. Shop with a friend/housemate. This way you can split the cost, ensure that the produce you buy doesn’t go bad before it’s eaten (which is like flushing money down the toilet) and you can buy a variety of items without breaking the bank. Besides grocery shopping is much more fun with company! 2. Join a Rewards program. As mentioned above- getting points towards free groceries on things you would buy anyway sounds like a good deal to me! 3. Freeze Products for Use on a later day. This can include, fresh fish or poultry as it helps prolong its best before usage. Season them up on a weekend and pop them in the freezer so that when you’re ready for it, you can use it. Not only does it make your food last longer, but it also prevents you from becoming tired of one food item. You can also do this with bananas that are ripe- toss them in the freezer and use it in a smoothie later in the week or if you’re feeling adventurous banana bread. 4. Sales are your best friend. Check out the sale rack in most grocery stores for bread, produce and fish. There are some great deals! 5. Make a list. This prevents impulse buying and it helps with meal planning for the week.
Social Media: A Platform For Positivity By: Grace Lounsbury My name is Grace and I am currently a nutrition student at Brescia University College. I recently started a foodie Instagram account (@the.little.sprout) in order to share meal ideas & recipes, as well as nutrition advice. By starting a food account I wanted to encourage others and mainly university/college students to be more aware of what they are eating and how their diet impacts their overall health. It can be extremely hard to eat healthy while being a student because of the limited time to buy/prepare fresh foods as well healthier foods can get pretty pricey which makes them unaffordable for a tight student budget. As a nutrition student I am a pretty conscious eater and tend to naturally enjoy healthier fresh foods as opposed to fast food and already prepared foods so it is easy for me to make eating healthy a priority. Although I realize this is not the case for a lot of people my age as they just don't care about eating healthy or they cant afford/don’t have the time to. I think that a lot of people are not interested in nutrition due to the lack of knowledge they have and lack of food skills they have. Many people might think that eating healthy is too hard or too much work but if you meal plan and prep efficiently then it could actually save time and money as well is much healthier than eating out or on campus. The few times I've eaten on campus I am shocked by how unnecessarily expensive it is and the wide variety of unhealthy options. There still are many healthy options but those ones seems to be even more costly which I assume makes them even less popular. Therefore I think it is really important to bring your own meals and snacks to campus because it would save you a lot of money. I usually pack my lunch and snacks the night before so that I know for sure I wont have to buy food on campus. Another money and time saving tip is to plan your shopping and meals as well as meal prep in large batches. Making a list before you go to the store with all the ingredients for your planned meals is very helpful and keeps your food waste to a minimum. As well meal prepping large batches of food ahead of time and storing them in your fridge or freezer is a great way to save time and prevent you from buying prepared foods or takeout after a long day of classes. There is also a lot of false information and myths about food and diets on the internet so I think its important to promote people to think more about where they are getting their information from so they can avoid false information. I do think that if used properly social media is a great platform to spread knowledge and positive messages to the large number of users. I think that the quality of the food we eat plays a major role in how our bodies and minds function so it is very important to promote healthy eating and living active lifestyles especially for students.
Best Turkey Chili Ingredients 2 tbsp. oil 2 cups diced celery (about 5 stalks) 1 large onion 1 tbsp. minced garlic 1 jalapeno pepper seasoning mix 1.5 lbs (750g) ground turkey 4 cups (1 L) canned diced tomatoes, with juice 2 cups (500ml) black beans, drained, and rinsed 1 cup diced roasted red pepper 3/4 cup tomato paste 1 bay leaf 2 cups frozen or canned corn salt and pepper, to taste
Seasoning Mix 2 tbsp. chili powder 1 tbsp. dried oregano 1 tbsp. ground cumin 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper or dried red pepper flakes
Instructions cook turkey in a frying pan place oil and garlic in a large pot and heat to medium temperature add cooked turkey stir in tomatoes, beans, roasted pepper, tomato paste, and bay leaf reduce heat to low and let simmer for 30 minutes add corn and let simmer for 5 minutes season with salt and pepper
Blueberry Banana Smoothie Ingredients 1 banana (frozen or fresh) 1 cup of blueberries (frozen or fresh) a small handful of greens (spinach, kale etc.) 1.5 cups of milk (soy, almond, or dairy) a small snack sized yogurt 1 cup of orange juice ice cubes (optional) Place all items in a blender and enjoy!
Three Important Food Literacy Skills Which Foster Healthy Eating By: Shannon Carman
1. Embrace the Rainbow It is not a coincidence that Canada’s Food Guide is shaped and coloured like a rainbow, instead of a pyramid formation like other countries have done with their food guides. Nutritionally, it is important to eat the rainbow and not stick to just one colour of food. By eating a variety of different coloured fruits and vegetables you can help ensure that you are accumulating different macronutrients and phytochemicals throughout the week, all which contribute to essential nutrients which your body needs to function properly. It turns out that Skittles were right when they said, “Eat the rainbow, taste the rainbow,” just not about candy, but rather fruit and vegetables. 2. Serving Sizes are Smaller than Perceived It may be daunting looking at Canada’s Food Guide and seeing the recommended daily servings of fruits and vegetables for adults 19 – 50 years old was 7 – 8 for females and 8 – 10 for males. How could one person possibly consume so many fruit and vegetables into one day and still meet the recommendations for the other three categories? Serving sizes are smaller than one may think. For vegetables, ½ cup of all fruits and vegetables, except raw greens which is one cup, is one serving. So those veggies you had as an afternoon snack which totaled 1.5 cups were 3 servings. And your morning smoothie with 1 cup of fruit was another 2 servings. Servings add up quicker than one may have originally thought. Start measuring to see if your servings add up! 3. Read Ingredient Lists and Nutrition Facts Panel Reading nutrition labels is one of the first things that nutrition students learn and it is very practical skill for everyone to learn. It is important to understand all the ingredients and nutrients present in food which is being consumed. For example, when choosing between a low fat and a full fat salad dressing, by looking at the label you can see both the nutrient differences and the ingredient differences. For the manufacturer to get the low-fat salad dressing to taste like the regular full fat dressing, they will add ingredients to create a similar mouth feel. In other words, they are trying to create the same texture and flavour. Often, there will be more ingredients in lower fat products to achieve the same mouth feel. Next, in many cases, lower fat versions of salad dressing will contain more sugar. Other products may add more water to achieve a lower fat product. When you are making a choice between full fat or low-fat products, have a look at the nutrition label and see the differences between nutrients and ingredients.
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/canada-foodguide/choosing-foods/vegetables-fruit/what-food-guide-serving-vegetables-fruit.html
Food Waste Food waste is an elephant in the room, or more accurately, the weight of 1 million full-grown male elephants. This is the weighted amount of solid food collectively wasted in Canada each year, which totals 6 million tonnes (1). At an individual level, the average Canadian wastes 183 kg of food annually. To put these numbers into perspective, the average Canadian household throws out approximately $1500 worth of waste annually (1). That is enough money to go on vacation or for a student to pay for about three months worth of rent. The environmental impact reinforces the severity of the problem. When food is sent to the landfill, it undergoes anaerobic decomposition which produces methane gas, a gas which is 25 X more damaging to the environment than carbon dioxide (1). The food that you waste has far more effect on the earth than the release of methane gas. Wasted food is also wasted resources. All the resources which contributed to producing your food were also wasted when you threw that bag of moldy oranges from the back of your fridge in the trash. These resources include: water, labor, and fossil fuels
By: Shannon Carman for both farming equipment and transportation (1). Now that these numbers have your attention, you may be asking: what can I do? 47% of food waste occurs in the household and there are five simple actions which you can take to reduce the amount of food waste which you produce (1). By reducing your food waste, you will be able to: save money and help the environment in the process. 1. Purchase with Purpose. Ensure that every item you purchase at the grocery store has a purpose. This can be achieved through meal planning for the week so you can guarantee that only the items necessary for the meals being cooked are purchased (2). 2. Take Inventory. Conduct an inventory of the products which you currently have in your pantries and fridges. This will help meal planning for a given week as a greater awareness on products and their level of freshness will be established. Products which are nearing the end of their freshness can be incorporated into recipes used in the meal plan for the week to ensure food is not wasted (2).
3. Make a Detailed Grocery List. Grocery lists are important. Not deviating from lists are more important. By creating a meal plan which gives every product a purpose and using the influence and awareness gained from conducting an inventory, one can create a detailed list with only the foods necessary for the week (2). Next time you are looking at that pasta which is on sale for 99 cents and thinking that you could always use another box. Leave it. It will be on sale again and it will be better to purchase when it is needed as the product will be fresher. 4. Freeze and Repurpose Left Overs. Tired of eating veggie lasagna for the third night in a row? Freeze it! This will help save time in the future when you are busy with exams and want to enjoy both a healthy and quick meal. 5. Compost. Many cities are now implementing green bin programs that pick-up compost curbside weekly. For cities that do not offer this program, it is possible to compost in backyard composters. Advocating for green bin
programs to local city governments can help start a movement where composting more widely practiced.
References 1. Waste Reduction Week in Canada. [Internet]. Ontario: Recycling Council of Ontario; [Updated 2017; cited 2018 March 8]. Food Waste in Canada: The Facts; [about 4 screens]. Available from http://wrwcanada.com/en/resourcetype/issue 2. Stefan, V., Herpen, V. E., Tudoran, A. A., & Lahteenmaki, L. Avoiding food waste by Romanian consumers: The importance of planning and shopping routines. Food Quality and Preference. 2013;28(1), 375-381. doi: 10.1016/j.foodqual.2012.11.001
Maple-Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas These make a great snack! Whether you are on the go or need a snack to fuel your studying, these are a must-try! Recipe can easily be halved , just take into account with the cooking time. Ingredients 2 cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained 2 tbsp. Olive oil 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. sea salt 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Directions Drain and rinse chickpeas Spread chickpeas out on tea towel or paper towels to further dry Transfer chickpeas to a mixing bowl and add olive oil. Mix until evenly coated Spread onto baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 400ËšF - make sure to flip and move around chickpeas every 10 minutes to prevent burning Remove from oven and reduce temperature to 325ËšF. Mix chickpeas in a bowl with maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and cayenne pepper Put chickpeas back on baking sheet and in oven for another 30 minutes, flipping and moving them around every 10 minutes. Remove and let cool for one hour before serving. Recipe from: Yum and Yummer by Greta Podleski
Changes to Nutrition Labels Coming to Products in a Store Near You! By: Shannon Carman Nutrition labels are a source of information trusted and depended on by consumers as a tool to utilize to assist in making decisions when purchasing food. But reading them can be a maze filled with dead ends and a lot of confusion. How can a consumer compare two products when they have different servings sizes on the label? What does it mean that there is 10% fat in this product? What is dextrose and why is this in my food? Sometimes, these labels result in more questions than answers. Updates aimed to improve understanding of nutrition labels are coming to food on a store shelf near you. Updates to nutrition labels include having more consistent serving sizes on similar food products which reflect realistic amounts which Canadians are likely to consume (1). This will better help consumers be able to directly compare products instead of standing in the aisle trying to do the math to compare one product which has nutrition facts calculated for ½ cup serving to another product which has nutrients calculated for a ž cup serving size. When the serving sizes are the same, consumers can better understand the nutritional information being presented to them and better compare products. Having realistic serving sizes will also help because some products may only account for ½ of the food product when consumers who are reading it assume that the nutrition value is for the whole package and are likely to consume it in that quantity. One of the first concepts taught in first year nutrition is the comprehension of nutrition facts panels and ingredients lists. Of this, it is taught that any amount which has a percent daily value (% DV) of 5% or lower, is a little and 15% or more is a lot. This is an important concept when viewing a label which will now be featured as a footnote on new nutrition labels (1). The exposure of this information to all consumers holds the potential for a greater understanding when reading nutrition labels. Before, one may view that sodium in a product has a % DV 20%, but not fully understand the impact of the percentage presented to them. This footnote translates the knowledge, making it easier for all consumers to understand. The minerals of public concern found at the bottom of nutrition labels has also been updated to reflect emerging nutrient concerns among the Canadian population. This includes the removal of Vitamin A and C on the bottom of labels as most Canadians are getting enough of these nutrients in their diets (1). Potassium has been added and along with calcium and iron, they will have their milligram amount shown beside the % DV (1). Another update to the nutrition facts label is that a % DV for sugar will be featured beside the weighed amount per serving (1). This is very important as sugar has been in the spotlight with the rising obesity epidemic and this addition will help consumers be able to better put into perspective how much sugar is in a product. Consumers will be able to identify sugary products containing 15% or more of the DV and can act on limiting their consumption of
these products (1). Another update to sugar information on nutrition labels is reflected in the ingredients list. It will now be required for all sugars to be listed together (1). Sugar has many costumes and can appear in an ingredient list more times than a consumer is aware, hiding behind less commonly known names to consumers such as dextrose. In many cases, listing sugars together will move sugar up in the descending order list of ingredients. This gives consumers a fuller picture of just how much sugar is in the product. An additional win in the updated ingredients list is that common allergens will be more clearly labeled (1). These updates may not be visible on nutrition labels yet as there is a transition period set out by the Government of Canada of 5 years for companies to make these changes (1). This allows companies to use up their label stock and make all the necessary changes. These changes are for the better and with each, improves consumers ability to choose healthier products. For more information on all the nutrition label changes, visit: https://www.canada.ca/en/healthcanada/services/food-labelling-changes.html Reference 1. Health Canada. Food Labelling Changes [Internet]. Ottawa: Health Canada; 2017 [cited 2018 Mar 24]. Available from: https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-labellingchanges.html
What Does Nutrition Mean to You? We asked the HSSA team what nutrition means to them and this is what they came up with! "Helps me obtain essential nutrients and as a result helps me feel more energized and alert"
"Balance"
"Being able to eat clean and healthy food"
"Meal Prepping "
"Energized"
"Feeling well enough to go to the gym"
"Feeling Well" "Having the time and energy for other things"
"Prevention of Illness/disease"
"Bettering my body and my health"
"Living a healthy lifestyle"
Did you know? That the student health benefit plan offered through the USC covers the cost of Dietitians? The Plan covers 100% of the cost of a Dietitian up to $320 per student year. Dieticians can provide nutrition counselling and assist with meal planning, recipe ideas, and much more! For more info: https://studentbenefits.ca/mycoverage