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Strawberry and Rhubarb Crisp

4 cups      sliced, strawberries
3 cups       cubed, rhubarb
1/4 cup    sugar
2 Tbsp     wheat flour*
2 tsp        cinnamon

Topping:

2 cups    rolled oats*
½ cup     packed brown sugar
2 tsp       cinnamon
1/3 cup   soft margarine

1. Preheat oven to 350F (180 C).

2. In an 8 cup (2 L) baking dish, combine strawberries and rhubarb. In a small bowl, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add to fruit and toss to mix.

3. Combine rolled oats, sugar and cinnamon.  With 2 knives, cut in margarine until mixture is crumbly.

4. Sprinkle over fruit.

5. Bake for 55 minutes until mixture is bubbly (or can microwave at 100% power for 15 minutes).

Serve warm or cold.

*Quick cooking tapioca and celiac-friendly oats can be used to make the product acceptable for people living with celiac disease, in place of wheat flour and regular rolled oats respectively.

Nutrition Facts (Per Serving):

Recipe adapted from: Kasten, G. & Simmons, D. (2012). FNH 341: Food Theory Applications. Vancouver, BC, pg 241.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/megz/509615092/

Eat BC’s Best This Summer

By Emilia Moulechkova & Theresa Price, UBC Dietetics Students

You have likely heard a lot about eating locally, but what does this really mean? The basic principle of eating locally is the closer to home the food is grown the better, which comes hand in hand with eating with the seasons.

There are numerous benefits to eating local foods in season:

1) Taste: locally grown produce is fresher and can be more flavourful

2) Saves you money: seasonal food is more abundant and thus can be less expensive

3) Better for the planet: the distance food has to travel to get to your plate is greatly reduced, which cuts down greenhouse gas emissions

4) Supports your local farmers: improves community food security and saves local farmland

5) Connects you with your food: buying locally provides you with the opportunity to find out more about how the food was grown or raised

With summer finally here it is the perfect time to take advantage of local and seasonal foods.  Here are a few suggestions to get you started:

Pick your own berries! There are many u-pick berry farms in the Lower Mainland that you can visit. Strawberry season starts in June, followed by raspberry season in July and blueberry season in September. Keep in mind it can be a great idea to buy extra berries to put in the freezer for later, so you can enjoy local produce year-round.

Visit a Farmers Market! There are also over 125 farmers markets throughout BC that vary in size and they each offer a unique experience. Find the one nearest you through BC Association of Farmers’ Markets http://www.bcfarmersmarket.org/findamarket.asp or stop by SFU Pocket Farmers Market, conveniently located on campus. SFU Farmers Market sells more than just fruits and vegetables; you can also find freshly baked bread, refreshing drinks, free-range organic eggs, honey, salsa, jams, pickles and more! The SFU Pocket Farmers Market runs every Wednesday from 11am- 3pm at Town Square at Cornerstone.  For more information visit http://sfulocalfood.ca/projects/pocket-farmers-market.

SFU Harvest Box – convenient, affordable and local! Each Harvest Box is custom made to include produce based on price and seasonal availability and is delivered directly to SFU on a biweekly basis. Choose from the Local Harvest Box or the Value Harvest Box, which makes eating fruits and vegetables affordable. Visit http://sfulocalfood.ca/projects/sfu-harvest-box for additional information.

Enjoy local and seasonal foods regardless of where you shop! Most conventional grocery stores label local foods, so look for the BC Grown stickers or signage. For a quick reference to eating seasonally take a look at this seasonal food chart http://www.spec.bc.ca/Resources/Documents/Food/seasonal_availability_chart.pdf.

Summer is a great time to discover BC’s great variety of delicious and nutritious food products. Take advantage of the local foods produced near you this season!

Emilia Moulechkova (left) and Theresa Price (right) are both dietetics students at UBC.  Emilia’s motivation for pursuing a career as a registered dietitian comes from her appreciation of amazing food and its ability to increase our quality of life, and ability to bring people together. Theresa chose dietetics as it combines her passion for food, nutrition and health with education and making a meaningful contribution to others. As fellow lovers of food they hope you enjoy some good whole, natural foods from local markets this summer!

http://www.the-peak.ca/2012/05/you-are-what-you-eat-the-most-bizarre-diets/

The Cost of Eating in BC

I often turn to this report to highlight that many British Columbians (including students) don’t have enough money to buy healthy food. When addressing food insecurity in training the SFU Food Bank volunteers, it is extremely helpful as well. I hope you will take the time to see what you can do to help. These are just a few ideas from the report:

• Log onto the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition website at http://bcpovertyreduction.ca . This site is a wealth of information on the cost of poverty in BC (watch the videos at http://bcpovertyreduction.ca/category/video to find out more)
• Email the Premier and add your voice to the call to the Government of British Columbia to reduce poverty and homelessness in our province at http://bcpovertyreduction.ca/take-action-2
• Support the Living Wage for Families campaign in BC (find out more at http://livingwageforfamilies.ca )

The Cost of Eating in BC 2011 Report (as well as previous years) can be accessed here: http://www.dietitians.ca/Secondary-Pages/Public/The-Cost-of-Eating-in-British-Columbia.aspx

http://www.dietitians.ca/Your-Health/Nutrition-Month/Nutrition-Month-2012/Myths.aspx

My favorite is #34. I’ve been enjoying some Cadbury’s Mini Eggs and love to have a few jalapeno cheddar kettle chips with a veggie sandwich:)

Cheese Tomato Potato Appies

From time to time I enjoy having a few appetizers for dinner instead of a full main course – it reminds me of the holiday season. Check out this recipe from the Dairy Farmers of Canada

http://www.dairygoodness.ca/recipes/canadian-bocconcini-tomato-nibbles

Demystifying multivitamin and mineral supplements

Thanks to a student question, I realized I don’t have any general information on deciding if you need a multi-vitamin or mineral supplement. I have to emphasize that a supplement is exactly that, it doesn’t replace healthy eating. Depending on your age, diet or life stage you may need one. And remember just because a nutrient has been linked with preventing a certain condition or disease, it doesn’t mean that more of it will be of greater benefit. I recommend speaking to a pharmacist and dietitian about what type of supplement would be best for you. You can do so by calling 8-1-1 HealthLinkServices of BC. I give thanks to my colleagues in Ontario for composing the following questions and answers that share other relevant information.

http://www.eatrightontario.ca/en/Articles/Frequently-Asked-Questions/Vitamins-and-Minerals-FAQs.aspx