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SHE SAID,
THREE SAID
SheSaid, ThreeSaid
By Sarah Weigum
AndreaMawson
Edmonton
I’ve found people are keen to learn the
origin of their food. They want to know
where food comes from, its growing con-
ditions and how it’s processed. I do more
education because people are interested in
learning the Canadian legislation around
hormones and antibiotics in food, and
organic labelling.
People are beginning to appreciate food
for its quality and flavours rather than food
being synonymous with quantity, which it
typically is in Canada and the U.S.
One thing we were good at in the past,
but not so much now, is cooking. I’m hope-
ful that since people want to know about
the origin of their food, they’ll be more
interested in getting back into the kitchen.
Hopefully, people will spend more time
enjoying the experience that food can be
in their lives. We know that will translate
into better nutrition. People eat less food
when they’re taking time to enjoy it.
Vincci Tsui
Calgary
People are changing the sourcing of their
food and they’re trying to find things that
are less processed. There is a lot more
information about nutrition out there.
Nutrition labels became mandatory on
packaged foods in 2007, so that’s a rela-
tively new tool for us to make decisions
about food.
I think people are still looking for that
quick fix. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, it was all
about low-fat, and then it evolved into the
low-carb diet, and now people are looking
for gluten-free foods.
The number of people who buy glu-
ten-free products regularly way exceeds
the number of people we estimate to have
celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
People are going back to the basics,
which I would agree with. Go to a mostly
plant-based diet that’s minimally processed,
and prepare your own meals because then
you have control over what goes into them.
Casey Berglund
Calgary
People are becoming more health con-
scious. Likely, their endless access to
nutrition information through various
media plays a role. Unfortunately, much of
the information out there is not credible.
A lot of it is anecdotal and not necessarily
rooted in good science.
Lots of food trends come up year to year.
In the past few years, I’ve had people ask
about gluten-free diets, Paleo diets and
superfoods. When a client is considering a
particular way of eating, I always ask about
their motivation for trying it. This can re-
veal important information that can direct
how I go about nutrition counselling.
Some people have improved their
diets by adding vegetables and fruits. We
always need more plants in our diets.
Whatever trends come and go, I seem to
come back to the advice I love by food
writer Michael Pollan: “Eat food. Not too
much. Mostly plants.”
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From hitting the gym to crash diets and calorie counting, people try many
ways to eat right and stay healthy. Whether Paleo or Pescatarian, it seems
almost no two eaters are the same these days. Three Hills-area farmer Sarah
Weigum asked three Alberta registered dietitians how they have seen
people’s view of food change over their careers.
The Food Issue
2014
Grains
West
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