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Monthly Board Report - February 2001
March is Nutrition Month!
Submitted by Dianne Oickle & Heather Deegan, Public Health Nutritionists
There is a lot of nutrition related information out there - in the media, on the internet, and out in our communities. Many diet and weight loss programs promise health and happiness by promoting false nutrition information. Consumers are continually bombarded with conflicting messages about nutrition and healthy eating from professionals and non-professionals. So, who should we trust to provide reliable nutrition information? For the answer to this question, stay tuned for Nutrition Month!
In celebration of healthy eating, Registered Dietitians across Canada unite to organize events to reinforce the importance of nutrition in achieving health and well-being for Canadians. In March of each year, a national nutrition campaign is promoted by dietitians all over the country. The slogan of this year's Nutrition Month Campaign is "Make Sense of the Food You Eat… link to dietitians.ca." The focus of the campaign is to profile popular nutrition issues, debunk nutrition myths, and give credible nutrition information to address existing myths. The campaign also profiles Registered Dietitians as the most trusted and reliable source of nutrition information.
In order to implement this campaign locally, the Registered Dietitians at the Leeds, Grenville & Lanark District Health Unit will be addressing some of the above topics. More specifically, the issues that will be addressed include fad diet programs, alternative nutritional therapies, diet books, the difference between a "dietitian" and a "nutritionist", where to get the best nutrition information, and how to access nutrition services in the community. We will provide information on how to tell when a diet program is "bunk", how to detect when nutrition information is coming from a "quack" and how to detect nutrition myths. As well, we will provide some healthy alternatives to the non-credible diet programs currently available. Keep your eyes and ears open throughout March for some reliable nutrition information from your local dietitians!
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