Ministerial Message—National Nutrition Month
Statements
March is National Nutrition Month: a great time to improve our relationship with food and find joy in eating.
Figuring out the best foods to buy, prepare and eat can be challenging. Whether you have a busy job and little time to cook at home, you may be trying to please a picky eater in the house, or you may be managing a chronic condition like diabetes – a balanced, nutritional diet can be difficult to maintain. I can certainly understand those challenges, as the demands of a Minister’s schedule mean that I spend a significant amount of time away from home myself.
The theme of this year’s Dietitians of Canada National Nutrition Month campaign is Take the Fight out of Food. It is dedicated to easing people’s frustrations surrounding food and helping Canadians find the joy in eating again.
Canadians today have access to more food-related information than ever before. Unfortunately, much of the information that is available online can be conflicting and often confusing. It’s important to seek information and advice from credible sources. HealthyCanadians.gc.ca contains a comprehensive section on food and nutrition, with consumer-friendly information on topics ranging from healthy eating to food recalls, risks and outbreaks. Dietitians of Canada also has extensive resources on healthy eating, including links to find a dietitian in your area.
Last October, as part of my vision for a healthy Canada, I announced Canada’s Healthy Eating Strategy, which aims to make the healthier food choice the easier choice for all Canadians. As part of the Strategy, our Government has committed to updating Canada’s Food Guide to make it more useful and relevant to Canadians. The Strategy also outlines how we will meet our commitments to strengthening nutritional information and ingredient labelling, including sugars and food colours; reducing sodium in foods; eliminating industrially produced trans fat; and restricting marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children.
We’re also supporting innovative programs and partnerships like APPLE Schools and Kid Food Nation, which help children and youth build healthy eating habits. When it comes to leading a healthy lifestyle, healthy eating and physical activity go hand-in-hand. That is why we are also supporting initiatives, such as Carrot Insights, that encourage Canadians to get active in their day-to-day lives.
This month, take steps towards improving your relationship with food and finding the joy in healthy eating.
The Honourable Jane Philpott, P.C., M.P.