EDITOR CAITLIN O'FLANAGAN | THURSDAY,MARCH 2,2017 | THE VOICE 7 Issues&ideas Nutrition: fact, fad & fiction Healthy food choices are half the battle but not the whole picture s Eat well to avoid the blues = a SS a Seo For additional content visit langaravoice.ca fs i er” Ps ge Ae Gai ee att Pr Cia Customer at T & T Supermarket on SW Marine Drive in South Vancouver shops for fresh fish. Some nutrionists tout the value of purchasing unprocessed food. SASHA LAKIC PHOTO Social media isnt your dietitian Being educated & informed is necessary for individual health m™ By SASHA LAKIC arch is National Nutri- tion Month in Canada and dieti- tians aim to educate Canadians about making better food choices. This year, local dietitians in alliance with Dietitians of Canada are staging nu- trition events around Van- couver to “take the fight out of food.” With a three- step strategy, they hope to teach people to identify — problems with foods, find a knowledge- able solution and devise an action plan with professional help. Unfortunately, Metro Vancouver appears to have a shortage of events compared to other areas in Canada. Libra Nutrition, a Canadian compa- “T'd like to see start.” — HANNAH MCGRATH LANGARA BUSINESS STUDENT ny that provides nutrition consultation in B.C., organized one of these com- munity events for seniors in Richmond better nutrition at school. That'd bea last Sunday. Founder and registered di- etitian Amy Yiu said the overload of in- formation on social media can confuse people when it comes to health and nutrition. Her company hopes to give “evidence-based infor- mation” to clients about eating well and exercising. “T see a lot of my peer dieti- tians doing wonderful things in their communities,” Yiu said. Apparent shortages of nutri- tion events in B.C., as shown on the Dietitians of Canada — website, may be misleading as not all events are posted, Yiu said. Yiu said she hopes that after partak- ing in workshops such as hers, people will take a more educational approach to finding out about proper nutrition. Hannah McGrath, second-year busi- ness student at Langara College, said she gets most nutrition info online. "I do a lot of googling," McGrath said. "I'd like to see better nutrition at school. That'd be a good start." Whitney Hussain is the B.C. repre- sentative for Dietitians of Canada and helps rally local practitioners to orga- nize events. Nutrition Month is a high- ly decentralized campaign, she said, for which she provides informational sup- port and access to resources for events. “All of us dietitians are aware that we're trying to promote events in the community [and] with the help of health authorities,” Hussain said. Personal food prep vital: Langara students weigh in EATING AT LANGARA DINING PROFILE OF STUDENTS Most popular Students seek healthy options, with items from the hot veg- gie and salad bars running out fastest. Lunchroom usage Customers visit the cafeteria an average of 2.6 times a week and lunch is the most popular meal. Healthy eating 46 per cent of students rate them- selves as "moderately active" in the pursuit of eating healthy. SOURCE: CHARTWELLS CANADA Many on campus split on the importance of making own meals = By EVAN HAGEDORN hile millennials may un- derstand the advantages of preparing their own food, research has shown that young adults are still making eating choices that negatively affect their wellness. A Statistics Canada study reported that a quarter of Canadians had bought and consumed food prepared in a fast food outlet, in the week prior to the study. Among teenagers age 14 to 18, the numbers rise to one third of Cana- dians. Langara College students are divided between those who prepare food at home and those who buy it from a food outlet. For students who value prepar- ing their own food, many said it is a way to save money. Jean Mougeolle, a second-year design student, prepares his own food and said that it allows him to save time while also staying healthy. “T prepare it or [bring] leftovers, like 80 per cent of the time. I've always been on the healthier side,” Mougeolle said. “But the main reason is to save money.” Mougeolle plans accordingly when it comes to lunches, especially when he knows school is going to be busy. “T'll try and cook ahead of time so I'll have food for the next few days,” he said. Second-year _ psychology Myra Jeyaratnam prefers to buy her food. “Tm lazy,” she said. If she does prepare something, it’s usually a quick bite. “Pll grab a banana and put together a sandwich... But I student wouldn’t prepare and actually put to- gether [a meal].” Monica Molag, a nutrition and food service management professor at Lan- gara, said preparing food allows the consumer to be more conscience of what they are eating and putting into their bodies. “You have a lot more control,” Molag said. “It also gives the person mindful- ness of what [you're] eating.” Preparing vegetables and pork for a student dinner. EvAN HAGEDORN PHOTO How dietary choices affect overall mood m™ BySAM MOWERS he long-term effects of bad eating habits are well docu- mented, however the immedi- ate effects of our diet can often go un- acknowledged. Depression has been linked to nutri- ent deficiencies in a number of stud- ies. There is an undeniable connection between what you eat and how you feel. One of nutrition’s most vital roles in mental health is the structural care and function of the body’s neurons and brain centres, according to Promoting Mental Health through Healthy Eating and Nutritional Care, a paper by Dieti- cians of Canada. The effects of a poor diet are not just physical. Harmeet Mundra, dietitian for Vancouver Coastal Health's Healthy Living Program, said that what we put in our bodies can have a direct ef- fect on how we feel mentally. “Tt does have a ee 4 2 IE Harmeet Mundra VANCOUVER positive impact on DIETITIAN the mood, _ stress management and overall well-being,” Mundra said. “Re- search shows that having more fruits and vegetables increases serotonin and dopamine, which are the happy neu- rotransmitters.” Neurotransmitters, also known as chemical messengers, transmit signals throughout the body that play a major role in everyday functions. Annie Jensen, a Langara librarian, is also one of the college’s wellness cham- pions, whose aim is to provide health and wellness support for the college’s community. She said eating healthy can be diff- cult at first, but becomes its own reward after a while. “If you're taking care of your body you feel good.” — ANNIE JENSEN, LANGARA COLLEGE LIBRARIAN & WELLNESS CHAMPION “If you're taking care of your body you feel good and you'll want to keep doing that,” Jensen said. She also pointed out Langara’s diverse cafeteria options and said it can be beneficial for students liv- ing away from home. “If you're feeling homesick, having something that reminds you of home can go a long way,” she said. Rosalie Lung, a dietitian for Vancou- ver Coastal Health, said a healthy diet is not just about food. She advocates for being mindful of the environment and activities associated with eating. “Try to have meals with your friends and family,” Lung said. “Focus on the food and family conversation.”