March 27 - Free Workshop: Soup, Frittata, Salad & Muffins

Come join Red Seal Chef Ilan Wright to learn, cook & eat a healthy meal. 

Location: Gilmore Community School, Burnaby. 

Registration required: information below.

Best Wishes for Healthy Holidays!

Delicious, Nutritious Holiday Giving

Join Burnaby Food First Tomorrow, Sun. Dec. 4

Free Workshop, Children Welcome

Upcoming December Workshops from Burnaby Food First

Asian Dumplings Workshop

Burnaby Food First is pleased to announce a new workshop! 



Asian Dumplings Workshop

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Brentwood Community Resource Centre

(2055 Rosser Avenue, Burnaby)



Join Burnaby Food First member Gloria, and learn to make both vegetarian and meat Chinese dumplings. Children are welcome.



The workshop is FREE, but space is limited. To register, please contact Meghan at (604) 209-2404 or by e-mail at burnabyfoodfirst@gmail.com.



Parking is limited: please consider taking transit, biking or walking.



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Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a volunteer?



All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on board! For more information, send us an e-mail at burnabyfoodfirst@gmail.com.

Healthy Weeknight Meals Workshop

Burnaby Food First is pleased to announce a new workshop!



Healthy Weeknight Meals

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Brentwood Community Resource Centre (2055 Rosser Avenue / Burnaby - map) 



Join holistic nutritionist Meghan Cooke to learn about affordable, fast, and healthy recipes for weeknight meals! Children are welcome.



To register, please contact Meghan at (604) 209-2404 or by email.



Register as soon as possible, as there are limited seats available. Parking is limited; please consider taking transit, biking, or walking.

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Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a volunteer?



Check out all the great ways you can get involved. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on board! For more information, send us an email.

New Westminster - Food Skills for Family Program

Food Skills for Families (Sapperton)



Looking to learn how to eat and prepare healthy foods? Can you commit to 6 Tuesday morning sessions? Then join Family Services of Greater Vancouver for their hands-on program for healthy eating.



Where: Knox Presbyterian Church, 403 East Columbia, New Westminster (map)



When: Tuesday Mornings from 9:15 am to 12:15 noon from April 5 to May 10, 2016 *



* Note: You must be able to attend all 6 workshops.



Cost: Free!



How to Register:

Call: 604-764-1358

Email: CommunityKitchens@fsgv.ca



Register early as space is limited.



Childcare is available, if required.



Who Should Attend:

Parents, seniors or anyone who would like to learn how to eat healthier!



This is a great program to learn how easy it is to cook with fresh ingredients, learn about nutrition and healthy eating. There will be an opportunity to even tour a grocery store with a dietician. Don't forget, you will also meet new people too! Great way to make new friends and share cooking experiences and knowledge too!

Food Security and Food Culture

Food Security includes not only ensuring access to food but also achieving good nourishment and nutrition. This is described as 'Utilization of food' as described in a previous article about this topic. Intake of a well balanced diet goes hand in hand with the diversity, customs and cultural traditions that are associated with food preparation and consumption. In order to achieve Food Security therefore, it is necessary to recognize the importance of culture in relation to food habits. This cultural aspect is further explored in this post. It is part of a series of articles about Food Security. 

We are what we eat

The experience of cooking and eating food is determined by lifestyle, resources, community influences, aesthetic preferences and all such factors that prescribe culture and identity. Food is usually a very important part of celebrations, holidays, festivals and events. Food production, preparation and intake are often collective activities among family, friends and community. These collective and cultural influences therefore are integral to continued intake of sufficient and nutritious food. 

For instance, meals are traditionally long, leisurely and eaten with together with family or friends in Latin cultures such as French, Italian or South American. In India and some other Asian cultures, elaborate cooking processes and use of a wide variety of ingredients are a common feature of everyday meals. Traditional Middle Eastern family meals are served in a communal plate in the centre of the table. Food is eaten without cutlery or plates but using hands.

Cultural traditions and customs are not fixed. They are continuously evolving but they remain part and parcel of Food Utilization and therefore Food Security. 

Impact of Culture on Food Security

Due to a modern lifestyle people are switching to a fast food culture and perhaps no longer attach enough importance to cultural traditions in food habits. The increasing trend towards eating out, take away meals moving away from home made food has negative consequences. Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer are attributed among other factors to fast food, industrially or commercially prepared meals all of which often have high levels of sodium and fat and may be lacking in necessary vitamins and diverse nutrients compared to a traditional fresh home cooked meal. Many such articles are available on this subject. The likelihood of diseases like cancer being caused by consumption of processed meat has also recently been in the news. 

Source: Wikipedia

In a multicultural community, some families switching from their traditional cuisine to a western diet may adopt unhealthy cooking or eating habits. This may be because of losing touch with their own culture over generations as a result of modern developments like migration and globalisation. At the same time they may struggle to adapt to local cuisines due to lack of sufficient knowledge not having grown up with the local foods. Furthermore a move away from cooked meals using fresh ingredients to pre-packaged, processed, fast food can also diminish the importance and richness of our ecosystem which supports and creates our food. 

Suggested Measures

It is suggested that work done towards improving Food Security could include efforts to promote the importance of nutrition as well as a suitable cultural environment. This can be done by officially acknowledging the impact of diverse cultural habits and preferences while developing Food Security programs, training or services such as in food bank distribution programs, food related workshops/conferences or while subsidizing/incentivizing local food markets. Introducing an element of cultural awareness, celebration of traditional customs through food festivals, fusion cooking workshops or promotional food events are also part of the measures that encourage communities to better engage with food and eat well. 

Medical treatments are often prescribed after identifying likely deficiencies in a patient's traditional diet and eating patterns by doctors currently. For instance certain vegetarian diets result in deficiency of vitamin B12 with specific medical consequences and accordingly the treatment addresses the deficiencies. The impact on diet of cultural differences should perhaps be taken into account at a prior stage in the work done to improve Food Security.  

Burnaby Food First has been offering many interesting workshops this month to promote local food preparation techniques and locally produced food such as 'cooking with winter greens', 'cooking with root vegetables', 'drying and storing foods' and more. Please check our website for details or contact us to be included in our mailing list. 

Some links for further reading:

http://www.ryerson.ca/content/dam/foodsecurity/publications/articles/FoodIdentity.pdf

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/food-culture/

http://ideas.ted.com/what-americans-can-learn-from-other-food-cultures/

Annual Fundraiser: Natural Sweetness Workshop

Burnaby Food First is pleased to invite you to our first annual fundraising workshop!


Natural Sweetness: You are sweet enough already!

Monday, November 16

6:00 pm -
9:00pm

Brentwood Community Resource Centre (2055 Rosser Avenue / Burnaby
- map)



In
this hands-on workshop, chef and Holistic Nutritionist Andrea Potter will
introduce us to the basic concepts behind creating delicious and healthy raw
desserts. Now you can have your cake and eat it too!



We will be incorporating
superfoods such as maca, hemp hearts, coconut oil, and more into our decadent
creations.



Raw desserts are naturally free of refined sugar, dairy, eggs
and flour. Yummy tastings included!



Tickets: $65 (includes a
hands-on cooking session and tastings).



Tickets can be purchased through
Eventbrite at http://naturalsweetness.eventbrite.ca
or by calling (604) 294-7421.



Location: Two blocks from
Brentwood Skytrain Station. Limited street parking is available. Please consider
biking or taking transit.



This workshop is a fundraiser for Burnaby Food
First. All proceeds will go to support Food First programs and community
workshops. For more information, please visit http://burnabyfoodfirst.blogspot.ca/.

Nutrition: An Important Part of Food Security

Food security means not only having enough food but also having a healthy, nutritious diet as described in the first post of this series. We need to eat the right type and range of foods to get the nutrients we require.

Calorie Intake

There are different ways to assess the levels of nutrition in our food. Many people focus on their calorie intake. This is the energy obtained from food including carbohydrates, proteins, fats and fibre. This information is available on the Nutrition Facts label that is found on most pre-packaged foods. The recommended healthy level of calories depends on one's gender, age, body size, and activity level as per the energy requirement chart offered by Health Canada. For example, the average female in the age group of 30 to 50 years is recommended about 1,800 to 2,000 calories per day.

Risks from artificial trans fat

The nutrition facts table also provides information about core nutrients such as vitamins, calcium, iron, and fibre -- all of which are good for the body. Information about salt content, cholesterol, fat content helps to monitor and avoid excess intake. 

The nutrition labeling regulation that came into effect in Canada almost eight years ago also mandated the publishing of trans fat levels present in the food causing bad cholesterol or 'LDL cholesterol'. Statistics show that Canadian consumption of artificial trans fat has declined 40% over the past decade. A recent US Food and Drug Administration announcement about partially hydrogenated oils, the primary dietary source of artificial trans fat in processed foods will further eliminate their use over the next three years. So consumers in Canada may now also look for similar regulations. Artificial trans fat can still currently be found in crackers, cookies, cakes, frozen pizzas and pies, microwave pop corn, refrigerated dough products like biscuits and cinnamon rolls etc.

Source: Diabetes.ca

The Food Group Approach: We cook food, not nutrients

Working out nutrient and calorie levels can be too much sometimes on a busy day. Canada's food guide offers some simple guidelines for a healthier diet such as 

• buying staple fresh foods from the essential food groups of vegetables and fruits, grains, meat, dairy, oils and unsaturated fats


• avoiding excessive processed foods. 


• eating one dark green vegetable and one orange fruit or vegetable daily if possible 


• consuming fish once a week if possible


• protein alternatives for vegetarians including beans, lentils and tofu

Ultimately consumers can take the common sense approach to adopt a nutritious diet and use available guidance as best suited to their health and lifestyle. 



Burnaby Food First is offering an interesting, relevant free workshop Fats: The good, the bad, the ugly. Please register for this if interested. 

Fats: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

Burnaby Food First is pleased to offer another FREE workshop!



Fats: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Wednesday, August 19

6:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Brentwood Community Centre (2055 Rosser Avenue / Burnaby - map)



Join holistic nutritionist Suzan Anbari to learn what makes a good fat and a bad fat! Find out how to use good fats for healthy meals and also natural deodorant.



Registration is required. Space is limited! To register, please contact Leanne at (604) 618-3581 or by email.

----

Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a
volunteer?

Check out all the great ways you can get involved. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on
board! For more information, send us an email.

Eat Your Greens Workshop

Burnaby Food First is pleased to present another FREE workshop (funded by Vancity)!



Eat Your Greens

Wednesday, April 29

6:30 pm - 8:15 pm

Brentwood Community Resources Centre (2055 Rosser Avenue / Burnaby - map)



Join Maya Thau-Eleff for this tasty, hands-on workshop!



Learn how to make delicious stir-fries using greens that are in season and already in your fridge -- and without buying sauces or adding sugar.



Registration is required. Space is limited! To register, please call (604) 618-3581 or email us.

----

Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a
volunteer?

Check out all the great ways you can get involved. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on
board! For more information, send us an email.

One Pot Cooking Workshop

Burnaby Food First is
pleased to present another FREE workshop (funded by the United
Steelworkers Local 1-1937).



One Pot Cooking

Thursday, March 5
6:30 pm - 8:30
pm

Edmonds Community School,
Community Room #100 (7651 18th Avenue / Burnaby - map)


Join nutritionist Suzan Anbari
and learn how to make easy, healthy and affordable one pot recipes the whole
family will enjoy!

**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

Upcoming Workshop on Healthy Eating

Hey Food First-ers! A great event is coming up soon in Burnaby!



The Burnaby Division of Family Practice is presenting a workshop on �Healthy Eating' with Dr. Davidicus Wong.



Friday, January 16
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Confederation Centre (4584 Albert Street, Burnaby / map)



Dr. Wong will discuss: 



� Why you are what you eat - the effect of diet on health

� The essentials of a healthy diet 

� Healthy eating on a budget



It's free, but you have to register at lcullen@divisionsbc.ca or by phone (604) 259-4450.

Green Edible Holiday Gifts for Kids

Burnaby Food First and Edmonds Community School are pleased to present a FREE community workshop!



Green Edible Holiday
Gifts for Kids



Wednesday, December 10

6:30 pm - 8:00 pm

Edmonds Community School (7651 18th Avenue / Burnaby - map)




Learn how to
make healthy snacks for the holidays with Ivonne Penit! Everyone will make a gift to take home. Bring your own ideas
to share.



This is a family-friendly event. 



**REGISTRATION CLOSED**

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Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a
volunteer?

Check out all the great ways you can get involved. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on
board! For more information, send us an email.

Review: Fall Workshops and Events

Thank you all for coming out to our fall workshops! We're done with our schedule for this year, so keep an eye out or subscribe to our email list for announcements on new workshops.



Here's what we were up to over the past couple of months:

Introduction to Canning

Credit: Christina Mak

Introduction to Canning

Credit: Leanne Zmud

Winter Container Food Gardening

Credit: Leanne Zmud

Goodlad Community Garden Party

Credit: Christina Mak

Healthy Snacks for Kids

Credit: Christina Mak

Healthy Snacks for Kids

Credit: Christina Mak

Healthy Meal Planning

Credit: Christina Mak

Healthy Meal Planning

Credit: Christina Mak

Want to be the first to hear about new workshops? Make sure to Subscribe for updates on upcoming workshops or check back on our blog for announcements.



Enjoy Burnaby Food First workshops? Want to get involved as a volunteer?


Check out all the great ways you can get involved. All are welcome, and we'd love to have you on board! For more information, send us an email.