Eat, Read, Learn | May 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
Local food for families from Nourish NS
As the weather warms up, there’s a renewed interest in eating fresh, local foods! The Nourish NS Local Food Lunch Toolkit is a free PDF resource providing practical step-by-step instructions for daily family meals using budget-friendly local foods. This visual, approachable resource is a great tool for families interested in incorporating more in-season foods, as well as a practical example of how to set up a basic meal plan, with daily tasks clearly laid out. The 22 recipes indicate which ingredients can be sourced locally, and also support a “Division of Responsibility”-style serving method, encouraging additional toppings to be laid out buffet-style so family members can “choose their own adventure” while trying new foods.
READ and LEARN
Reflection on cultural bias when promoting “the” Mediterranean Diet
May is International Mediterranean Diet Month which is an easy focal theme for community-based RDs coming into Spring – promoting plant-based eating flavoured with plenty of herbs and spices, prepared with heart-healthy fats, and enjoyed as part of an active, social lifestyle. Indeed, the “Mediterranean diet” has been recognized as the “Best Overall Diet” for the 6th year in a row, and has recently come into focus again in April 2023 for potentially reducing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease risk more effectively than previously thought.
But it’s important for RDs to avoid implying that only culturally-Mediterranean foods can provide these health benefits (as eloquently outlined by Thevaki Kulendran RD in her 2021 article on this topic, and addressed by Ann Noah and Arthur Stewart Truswell in their 2001 work addressing the dietary diversity in the Mediterranean region itself). Many traditional eating patterns have a similar structure to the default “Med pyramid” (plant-based, heart-healthy fats, emphasis on active lifestyle and family-based eating). The Oldways nonprofit (developed the original Mediterranean Pyramid in 1993, now has a strong emphasis on traditional foodways from around the world, which is an excellent starting point to illustrate different iterations on this dietary theme. As Noah and Truswell note: “The [original Med diet data] refer to food habits in Mediterranean countries [40 or 50] years ago, as they were recovering from the Second World War. There is no single ideal Mediterranean diet. Nutritionists who use the concept should qualify the individual country and the time in history of their model Mediterranean diet.”
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
