Healthy eating is their business

By Donna Gray

Three Alberta nutritionists outline the challenges and triumphs of educating children, athletes and seniors to eat right. From meat to fruit, from grains to dairy, Alberta-grown food products can play a key role.

Andrea Smith, Registered Dietitian, Alberta Pork

Andrea Smith loves kids, especially when they’re eating breakfast.

“It’s the most powerful meal of the day,” she says. “By having breakfast, they’re more likely to get adequate levels of the vitamins and minerals they need to perform during the day.”

With expertise in child and pre-natal nutrition and currently a health and nutrition specialist with Alberta Pork, Smith says one of the biggest health concerns in the industry is the increased obesity among Canadian children between the ages of 7 and 13.

“When we look at the statistics and trends, the increase is incredible. The reasons are many. It’s not just as easy as saying that children are eating more candy bars, it’s a combination of a decrease in physical activity, with an increase in the availability of highenergy, high-fat foods that don’t always provide them with high nutritional value.”

Parents, you have the power One way nutritionists like Smith are tackling this problem is to educate parents about point of purchase decisions.

“Since most parents make their food decisions based on children’s tastes and needs when they’re in the grocery store, it’s always best to think fresh first,” she says. “The first step is to make a conscious effort to walk the perimeter of the grocery store. That’s where you usually find the fresher products like bread, dairy, meat and fruits and vegetables. The inner aisles of a store include the more processed foods that tend to be higher energy food with lower nutritional value.”

Making the time to teach children cooking skills, budgeting and nutrition education can also help to make a positive imprint on a child’s future food decisions.

“This can include taking the kids to a local farmer’s market on a Saturday afternoon to see all the different varieties of foods that are grown nearby. For meal planning, encourage children to help by looking for recipes in cookbooks or on Web sites. Involve older children when creating your grocery list or when shopping to teach the skill of staying within a budget.”

What makes kids crave snacks?

Emotions have a lot to do with eating and so does marketing. Many parents cite slick package designs and captivating ad campaigns as the main culprits to poor food choices in children. Surprisingly, when children are asked what hits their hot buttons, they say it’s what their peers are doing.

“The steps to healthy eating can be as simple as making sure kids have a breakfast that’s nutrient-dense, like a bowl of low-sugar cereal with milk, a banana and a glass of juice,” Smith says. “That covers three of the four food groups in one meal and is packed with energy to help them focus better in school.”

Snacks are trickier because there are many convenient high-energy and sugary items available. These may taste great but have no nutritional value. Planning a variety of nutritious foods, like fresh fruit and yogurt dip as opposed to cookies, ensures a greater chance that the child will actually eat it and get the benefits of the vitamins and minerals within.

“Snacking in between the major family meals can make up for more than 25% of a child’s energy intake. That’s where you normally see nutrition being compromised.”

Determining whether or not nutrition is taking a backseat to convenience should be the first question a parent asks when touring the sections of a grocery store. Many products will claim they’re healthy, but once you inspect the label, the story can be quite different.

“Juice can also be too much of a good thing,” says Smith. “Most juice doesn’t provide any significant nutritional value except Vitamin C, plus there’s a large amount of sugar and most don’t contain fibre. Even though it’s good for our kids, we have to be aware of how much they are consuming. Encourage them to eat whole fruits and to choose milk or water in place of juice.”

Common sense approach

Using a little creativity and careful planning, finding positive and tasty food choices is easier than you think.

“There are lots of ways to make foods attractive and fun for kids and teenagers. As long as it’s accessible, fresh and there’s a variety, chances are a child is going to eat it, especially if they’re hungry. Once you instill these habits into their lifestyle, it’s a lot easier to continue them into adulthood.”

Communicating where food is grown and how it gets to your table is a vital link in the education chain. Smith also says it’s important to talk to your children about the foods they enjoy and cook new foods that they are willing to try … even just a little.

Kelly Ann Erdman, Registered Dietitian, Sports Medicine Centre – University of Calgary

If you’re an aspiring athlete with lofty goals of winning a medal, you already know that eating well keeps your body’s engine running at optimum levels.

Yet according to Kelly Anne Erdman, athletes of all shapes, sizes and interests should make food their number one priority in maintaining health and performance.

“Anyone who works out or trains from seven to 10 hours a week qualifies as an athlete,” she says. “It doesn’t matter if it’s for competition or recreational reasons, the greater the volume of activity, the more you need to look at the nutritional requirements.”

Working with athletes of every background and sport, Erdman studies the kind of activity the athlete is involved in. If it’s an endurance sport like long-distance running, she focuses on foods that sustain energy. In precision sports, the diet needs to feed the brain as well as the muscles.

“Most athletes have been doing it for such a long time that they are in tune with their bodies and they know what’s required to reach peak performance,” she says. “One of my clients is a downhill skier who has been training for 15 years, and she’s 18. Since she was three, her body has been used to the training requirements and she knows what fuel she needs to feel good and continue to have a high level of output.”

Before-and-after nutrition

No matter the age of the athlete or the sport, the two most important meals of the day are just before a training session and recovery that follows it.

Athletes just getting into a sport, even at the amateur or junior levels, may need extra help in determining which foods will give them the boost they need during training and in competition.

“The younger the age, the more parents need to get involved. I invite them to the consults and brainstorm with them to come up with ways to ensure the child is getting all the nutrients he or she needs. The older athletes are pretty much on their own after a consultation and they generally make pretty wise buying decisions.”

When it comes to taking advantage of all that Alberta offers for fresh produce and meats, Erdman encourages athletes to buy as locally as possible to ensure quality.

“Iron-rich foods like Alberta beef or pork, two to three times a week are essential to an athlete’s diet. Locally grown root vegetables like potatoes give excellent energy and you can find them at markets, farms and stores very easily. You also know what you’re buying when you shop local.”

Supplements can play a role

You see them everywhere; protein bars, shakes, pills and gels, clogging store shelves with potential for power. Serious athletes, at least 46% of them, take some type of supplement.

It’s no surprise, says Erdman. “Some of the most common reasons why athletes take supplements are to enhance performance, provide special nutrients, to maintain health and compensate for poor eating.”

Although supplements aren’t the ideal way to get your energy and ensure proper distribution of vitamins and minerals, it can add a bit of a boost and a degree of convenience. Better still, athletes and others could benefit by paying closer attention to the tried-and-true principles of nutrition.

Says Erdman: “In the last five years, I’ve seen a positive trend in athletes and their parents getting back to basics. More fresh foods and healthier snacks and better planning methods. That’s a positive step because ultimately, the benefit comes right down to increased performance and that’s what it’s all about.”

Heidi Reisch, Nutrition Specialist, Calgary Health Region

As dozens of Calgary seniors carefully step off the bus to shop at a local Calgary Co-op store, Heidi Reisch has a good reason to smile.

As director of the Seniors Nutrition Initiative, a citywide program aimed at increasing access and awareness of healthy eating to seniors, her goal is to make healthier eating and shopping easy decisions for seniors.

“The biggest hurdle for seniors today is the ability to access fresh food and to maintain independence in the community,” says Reisch. “Most don’t have the transport opportunities or the income to help them get to a local market once a week. That’s why we created bus program that provides free transportation to local grocery stores.”

The program, established last summer, enlisted the help of several agencies and businesses. Each contributed funding or resources to ensure that buses could transport seniors to area Co-op stores.

“It’s still going strong and everybody benefits from the program,” she states. “We’re hoping to see it expanded in other regions.”

Reisch states that the program not only helps to promote healthier eating, but also exposes seniors to the variety and abundance of locally grown products available from Alberta producers. The more exposure they have to nutritional choices, the greater the chance they’ll choose wisely.

Stick with the basics

Reisch’s central message is that healthy eating shouldn’t stop when you’re older. Consuming dairy products, fresh meats, and fresh vegetables and fruit should always be a part of your diet, even if you’re cooking for one.

“If you’re not eating well, your body will respond in a functionary way,” she says. “You’ll be more confused, tired and unable to do the things you enjoy doing every day. That’s why it’s important to include even the simplest foods that give you the most benefit, like bananas and milk in a bowl and a bran muffin. It’s that easy.”

Most local health authorities across Alberta offer services for seniors, ranging from shopping trips and potluck dinners to community kitchens and nutrition counselling. Reisch finds that those seniors who are open to change or at least, social interaction, seem to be influenced most by her efforts to inform and inspire.

“Seniors that are a part of a social group through friends, family or church are really interested in enhancing their health. Others who aren’t connected socially can be rather isolated. That’s why we’re encouraging their children or caregivers to consider including them in group kitchens or potlucks that help them share a good eating experience.”

Overcoming barriers

When it comes to nutrition awareness, Reisch makes these simple suggestions as a start toward a healthier life.

“Make sure you include a nutrient-dense meal every time you sit down to eat. When you plan your grocery trip, make sure to include all four food groups, dairy, whole grains, vegetables and fruit and meat or meat alternatives like beans and eggs. Check out all the fresh products that are in the outer areas of the store. Probably buy local, so you know what quality you’re getting. An emergency food shelf can also come in handy if you can’t make it to the store regularly.”

As our bodies age, our metabolism slows down and dehydration is more common. In fact, it’s one of the major reasons for seniors’ hospital admittance in Canada, according to Reisch. That can be solved easily by including more water, juice, milk, ice cream or soup in your diet. Tea and coffee aren’t recommended because caffeine encourages dehydration.

Says Reisch: “Another big misconception is that a vitamin pill can solve all of your problems. Sure, they can give you all the minerals and vitamins you need, but there’s so much more that food can do for you. All you have to do is be open to the possibilities.”