Harnessing the power of food fuels our health
Food is so much more than just a necessity to sustain life.
Eating is a way to bring people together to enjoy each other’s company.
As the saying ‘you are what you eat’ goes, it can also be a significant determinant in one’s physical and mental health.
March is Nutrition Month and the theme in Canada this year implores people to “Unlock the Potential of Food.”
For registered dietitians, the phrase means many things.
For Nicole Marchand, registered dietitian and owner of Eat Well NS in Halifax, food is medicine. It’s no wonder she thinks that way as her private practice deals with the prevention, treatment and management of chronic diseases associated with food.
It irks her that nutrition education is not exactly a strongpoint for most physicians when they are dealing with their patients. She believes nutrition could also be better taught at the school level.
“That is making people in our society not understand the importance of nutrition,” said Marchand.
The importance of nutrition involves the interplay of how nutrients are or are not used by the body. For example, Marchand noted the emphasis many people place on consuming calcium for bone health, yet calcium is not properly absorbed by the bones without an adequate supply of other nutrients that include magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and vitamins D3 and K2.
“There are a lot of complexities in nutrition, but the base of it is getting people to understand that what you eat is going to decide your fate,” said Marchand.
Things are improving on the nutrition front, she added, though many people are getting much of their nutrition advice from social media these days.
“There are pros and cons to that,” said Marchand, who actively posts about nutrition issues on social media herself. “But it’s making a point that we can no longer ignore how much what we eat matters.”
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY
Sarah Hewko is an assistant professor in the Department of Applied Human Sciences at the University of Prince Edward Island and also uses her expertise as a registered dietitian in her private nutrition consultant business.
She agrees food can affect health and the way people feel, but stressed nutrition is far more complex than the notion of simply eating more of something that will provide a dramatic health benefit.
In addition to following sound nutritional advice from reliable sources, Hewko is a
believer in intuitive or mindful thinking to unlock the potential of food. This, she explained, involves eating a wide variety of foods and trying to make it an opportunity to connect with family and friends.
More importantly, she encouraged people to listen to what their body tells them it needs.
“Try to listen to your own body in terms of hunger and fullness,” she said. “That is something that allows you to really learn what your own body needs, as opposed to listening to external cues, whether that’s media or family members or whatever it is.”
Andrea Stokes, a registered dietitian and intuitive eating counselor who owns Mindset Nutrition + Wellness in St. John’s, N.L., is also a firm believer that the benefits of food extend far beyond nutritional value.
“Sure, nutrients are valuable and important,” she said. “But it's also healthy to enjoy food, to find satisfaction in what we eat, to eat enough food, to find ways of eating that fit your unique life circumstances, to eat in ways that help to foster connection and nurture relationships and connect with your culture and traditions. Food has the ability to enhance our lives in so many ways.”
THE CHALLENGE OF UNLOCKING FOOD’S POTENTIAL
Being educated about nutrition can go a long way towards getting the most out of food.
This can mean anything from knowing about the nutritional value of food products or it could mean knowing how to access good food on a budget or how to properly and efficiently use the foods that budgetary constraints compel someone to eat.
Because of how the diet culture defines healthy eating, Stokes said people often become overly fixated on calories and specific nutrients and on categorizing foods as either good or bad.
“In doing so, we forget about all the other benefits that various foods offer,” she continued. “All food is good food and all food has value. Some foods are higher in nutrients than others, but that doesn't mean those are the only foods that provide value and wellness benefits.”
Hewko would like to see the stigma of shame removed when people buy cheaper food options or rely on foods that some might deem less than ideal.
“Do what you have to do to feed your family and feel good about the choices you are making because bad is better than nothing,” she said. “If what you can afford is macaroni and cheese, then that’s better than not feeding your family.”
INFLATION
One of the biggest, if not the most significant, challenges to good nutrition these days is the rising costs associated with inflation.
All of the dietitians agree there are ways to cope with inflation, including opting for frozen or canned fruits and vegetables instead of costlier fresh produce and buying more plant-based proteins at a cheaper price than most animal proteins.
Some people may not go for some relatively inexpensive plant-based protein options such as chickpeas, lentils and tofu because they’re unsure how to incorporate them into meals. Stokes said this can be remedied by talking to a dietitian or by simply Googling recipes.
“You don't have to spend a ton of time cooking from scratch or spend a ton of money on the latest super foods in order to eat in a way that is nourishing,” she said.
Hewko recommended not only buying food when it’s on sale, but to buy discounted items in bulk and to maybe collaborate with family or friends to make bigger bulk purchases that everyone can share.
Having a meal plan before going to the grocery store, not to mention following through on it at home to avoid wastage, is also crucial for anyone trying to unlock the most of their food on a set budget.
ONUS NOT ALL ON THE CONSUMER
Making sure people have the food they should have is not just the responsibility of individual people, according to the dietitians.
Marchand believes the federal government should be doing more to subsidize farmers so they can reduce their operational costs during these inflationary times and not pass on their financial burdens to the consumers who ultimately want and need their products.
“There’s got to be work done at the government level to make sure food prices are best,” she said.
Hewko said there should be mechanisms in place to prevent grocery stores from being able to rake in record profits on the backs of hungry and desperate shoppers.
“Write to your MP and say you want stricter anti-monopoly laws and legislation,” she suggested. “At the local level, supporting local farmers and producers, if you can, does create some competition in the market so it’s harder for these mega companies to set the price just because they’re the only game in town.”