Canada's food guide: Measuring up!

By: Alannah Codrington

Well the new Canada food guide is out and there are a lot of new fantastic changes!

Looking at some of the key points on the guide, many tips on the new food guide reflect what COOKSMART is all about!

Be mindful of your eating habits

In our programming we always incorporate a mindful minute. We believe it is so important for kids to take a minute to give themselves a pat on the back for making an awesome dish that they can now feed themselves with. Also mindful minutes are help illustrate the importance of taking the time to be present, engage in all of the senses, chew food slowly and really take the time to have an enjoyable eating experience!

Cook more often

Cooking is what CookSmart is all about!! Teaching kids about nutrition, cooking and building their the kitchen confidence to feed themselves are fundamental values of CookSmart. Through a variety of our programs we start by making snacks to learning how to cook whole delicious meals! Even at home it's always great to encourage kids to get curious about cooking. Food has a special ability of making its way into some of our fondest childhood memories, we bet you still remember some of your kitchen moments with your parents or grandparents too!

Eat meal with others

That's what CookSmart is for! Whether it is our summer camps, in-school, lunch or after-school programs, we learn how to make great meals together and eat together. We also like to say that we're not finished until we're all finished, because it builds a sense of community, teamwork and caring for each other. We start as a team, where everyone has their roles and we end as a team where we learn together, play together and make some friends along the way!

The Canada's Food Guide revamp has come with a lot of changes, many of which COOKSMART is already in agreement with. Check it out for yourself and remember to keep cooking!