The Dish

Informed Dining

Many of you at the Burnaby campus may have just responded to the “Food for Thought” survey. As part of my response I included an emphasis on having nutrition information available for students and the broader community at SFU’s Burnaby campus. I realize that even though you may have the knowledge about healthy eating, a supportive environment can help you exercise that knowledge. A new initiative which ties into this, led by the Government of BC, is called Informed Dining. As part of this program, participating restaurants will have their nutrition information available for standard menu items, before you order them. I know I might be one few people who seeks out this information currently as many restaurants have it posted online. The good news after I dined at Earl’s recently is that my mom and I shared the Roasted Vegetable Quesadilla with half fries and salad. It was perfect because instead of 1400mg of sodium and 36 grams of fat, we each only had half that amount. But I would love to have this nutrition information there to review before I ordered in the restaurant. From my conversations with others on campus, especially in areas such as Residence this would be a welcome change. I hope SFU’s Burnaby Campus is a leader in adopting the Informed Dining program, for more information visit: http://www.healthyfamiliesbc.ca/informed-dining-consumers.php

Making your way through the menu maze

A couple of weeks ago I took my 5 year old nephew and 2 year old niece out for a day with their aunt. We had a great time at Maplewood Farm but when it was time for lunch I didn’t have a plan, so we resorted to the nearest fast food restaurant. It was easy and quick but not the most nutritious choice of course. I felt like a parent (just for that afternoon) and thought about what could I have done to make a healthier choice for their lunch. It seems to be a challenge many parents are facing. The ideal would be to pack a lunch from home where you control the ingredients and nutrition. If you can’t do the whole lunch, try some wholesome snacks as a way to balance a fast food meal.  I packed carrots so we could feed the rabbits that day, should have done the same for us.

Use this Cool Lunch Guide from Dietitians of Canada to help make the most of your lunches.

Check out this article from the Vancouver Sun, “Making your way through the menu maze”. Thanks to Randy Shore for the interview.