Each year, residents in Canada have the opportunity to celebrate Nutrition Month, a time in which healthy eating is promoted across the provinces. The Dieticians of Canada has unleashed a number of programs, tips and treats for citizens to participate in this exciting time of year. The theme for this year’s Nutrition Month is “Simply Cook and Enjoy!” Seniors living in retirement communities have a number of ways in which they can take advantage of the offerings provided by this month’s festivities, whether they’re participating in a nutritional event held by the community or enjoying the nutritious meals prepared by staff at their senior living home.
Canada enjoys Nutrition Month
Nutrition Month encourages chefs from across the country to engage in thoughtful conversations with the community regarding healthy cooking options that are easy to access. A number of organizations have pledged their support and begun to put initiatives in place to promote cooking skills among citizens. The McKay Memorial Library located in Nova Scotia, for example, will be holding four discussions led by a dietician throughout the month of March, according to Nova News Now. The programs will focus on healthy eating benefits, best cooking practices and using Canada’s Food Guide in the home.
Chartwell retirement community homes continue to emphasize healthy eating options for seniors. Adaora Oguine, Chartwell’s Corporate Dietary Consultant, explained that dieticians in the long-term care homes would be planning and executing a number of exciting programs throughout the month, aimed toward engaging residents with simple, healthy cooking tips.
Healthy eating tips from the experts
Maintaining a healthy diet is important for individuals of all ages, but seniors should be particularly mindful of their diets. As part of the month’s mission, the Dieticians of Canada has released a string of videos from the 2014 Nutrition Month media spokespeople that feature tips from some of the nation’s top food experts. While some videos focus on cooking methods – such as Crystal MacGregor’s three ways to steam cooked vegetables – others are merely tips from registered dieticians – such as Shannon Crocker’s suggestion to get kids involved in cooking by making smoothies. The series is available for all viewers to see on their website, and the organization will continue to post them throughout the month. Older adults can take advantage of these tutorials by copying recipes or learning how to best prepare their meals to conform to healthy standards.
Dieticians of Canada embraces technology
As the organization continues to spread awareness for the month, it has embraced a number of technological initiatives to give citizens easier access to nutritious tips. Not only does the website feature a number of downloadable documents for Canadians to enjoy, but the organization created two different apps to promote healthy eating options. Seniors living in retirement residences can greatly benefit from these apps, especially since they provide easy-to-follow instructions for healthy cooking.
The mobile app called eaTipster provides users with a different nutritional tip each day. The platform allows downloaders to read, save and share their favorite items. Cookspiration, which currently is only available as a website, allows people to customize a healthy meal based on the time of day. Individuals who visit the site are given the option to choose the day of the week, the time and the type of meal they can prepare. For example, a person who is searching for a Sunday morning meal on-the-go would be greeted with six breakfast choices, ranging from the Rock’n Ranch Panini to Banana Whole Grain Griddle Cakes. All recipes are cooked with nutrition in mind.
In addition, the Dieticians of Canada have been sending out daily tweets pertaining to Nutrition Month. The Twitter, which can be found @DietitiansCAN, sends out tips to followers that best encapsulate the theme, such as: “Be prepared! Read the recipe and prepare ingredients before you start cooking. #nutritionmonth.”