Eat, Read, Learn | July 2023

NS Dietitians: Check out the DNNS Facebook page for more new foods, thought-provoking reads, and continuing education opportunities – and please share your own contributions as well!

If you have comments or suggestions, you can reach Meredith at meredith.lapp@gmail.com

EAT

Summer hikes and local food brunch at Sugar Moon Farm

Tours of the maple sugar bush at Sugar Moon Farm sell out weeks in

advance during the height of maple syrup season in March/April. But this beautiful property in Tatamagouche is open year-round for pancake brunches featuring meats and vegetables from neighbouring farms, maple-themed coffees and cocktails, and exploring hiking trails around the main restaurant/store. The 6km Rogart Mountain Trail (1.5 to 3 hours) loops from the main parking lot and connects to another 25km of trails in the adjoining Gully Lake Wilderness Area. A fantastic summer weekend day trip!

READ

Coming into the sunny days of summer, encouraging clients to engage in more physical activity and outdoor time is a go-to recommendation – intuitively, we know time outdoors boosts mood and aids in connection within communities. A massive new umbrella study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (June 2023) continues to bolster the evidence, finding significant improvement in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and psychological distress when participants engaged in physical activity. This study incorporated over 1000 randomized controlled trials, representing over 128,000 participants. It’s definitely worth a read in order to provide specific, evidence-based exercise recommendations to clients – the type, duration, and intensity of physical activity found most beneficial differed depending on the participants’ specific health conditions.

LEARN

Intro to culinary medicine (plus strawberry bonus content!)

Last month, I highlighted strawberries as a June “Eat, Read, Learn” feature. But with Nova Scotia strawberry u-picks going strong into July, there’s still time to encourage fresh, local strawberry consumption. This free webinar from American chef (and Registered Dietitian!) Leah Sarris introduces the concept of “culinary medicine” and provides some bonus strawberry recipes from Chef Leah. She provides a fascinating deep dive into the culinary medicine movement, which aligns traditional nutrient-based training received by healthcare professionals with actual practical means of ensuring patients have the competence and confidence to actually obtain, prepare, and consistently consume nutrient-dense whole foods. Making this knowledge translation from research to real life is where dietitians have always exceled, but it’s heartening to see medical schools acknowledging the value of this work as well.

Curated by Meredith Lapp, RD

If you have a blog, book, or online course that you would like to share with your fellow network members, please forward information to Meredith at meredith.lapp@gmail.com