Cooking in the Community

Being able to plan, cook and prepare meals, knowing more about ingredients and nutrients that are in food, and having confidence while shopping, cooking and eating, are all parts of food literacy. Food literacy helps children, adults and seniors enjoy better health and well-being. 

One way to encourage people to eat better is to give them tips and tools to improve their food literacy. York Region Public Health offers resources to support resident’s food literacy. 

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Food Literacy in the community

York Region Public Health offers consultation, training, resources and support for organizations (e.g., parks and recreation, after-school programming) interested in starting a cooking program or adapting existing cooking programs.

Consultation

If you or your staff run cooking programs for your organization and would like food literacy training or support to teach clients how to prepare and cook simple, enjoyable and affordable meals, please email [email protected]. A Registered Dietitian or Nutrition Educator will set up a consultation with you and help you choose the type of cooking program to offer based on your organization’s infrastructure, capacity and resources.

Free train-the-trainer workshops

York Region offers free food literacy train-the-trainer workshops for groups of 10 to 16 leaders/instructors who lead cooking programs for their clients. Participants will learn basic cooking and safe food handling skills, as well as how to prepare healthy eating recipes that include vegetables and fruit, whole grains and plant-based foods such as legumes. By the end of the program, participants will have:

  • Practiced safe-handling and basic kitchen safety
  • Learned new food skills by preparing healthy recipes
  • Learned different ways to include legumes, whole grains, and vegetables and fruit in meals and snacks
  • An understanding of healthy, sustainable food choices
  • An understanding of how to teach and guide others to prepare and cook simple, enjoyable and affordable meals

The following material will be covered:

  • Cooking program logistics
  • Food safety
  • Required equipment
  • Selecting recipes
  • Menu planning
  • Food skill demonstrations and practice
  • Cooking recipes
  • Enjoying and sharing prepared recipes together

Participants will receive ongoing consultation and resources to support their cooking programs in the community. 

For more information about the train-the-trainer workshop, please email [email protected].

Ongoing support

York Region offers ongoing consultation, support, tips and resources for running cooking programs in the community.

Note: If your organization has less than 10 staff teaching the cooking program, but you are interested in taking part in the train-the-trainer workshop, give us a call. We may have another training workshop happening that you can attend.

Upcoming food literacy train-the-trainer workshops

Workshops are held in the Fall, Winter and Spring. Check back regularly for registration dates and times. If you are interested in taking part in the train-the-trainer workshop, send us an email [email protected].

Food Literacy at home 

Being food literate and cooking more often supports healthy eating habits, and it can also:

  • Save money
  • Save time
  • Improve health
  • Benefit the environment
  • Allow opportunities to explore new foods, tastes and recipes
  • Bring people together to share food, cultural food traditions and new skills 

The 5 Elements of Food Literacy

Food Literacy is…

1

Knowing about food - Your understanding of food and nutrition.

Check Canada’s Food Guide for recommendations on the types of foods and beverages to include every day in your meals and snacks. Information on food and nutrition needs are available for all ages and stages. 

2

Having food skills - Your ability to buy, prepare, handle and store food

Food skills are an important life skill. However, food skills are declining for many reasons:

  • A lack of mandated cooking education in schools
  • Food skills are not being passed down from generation to generation
  • People are busy and rely more on ready-to-eat, pre-packaged meals
  • People are eating out more or ordering take-out and cooking less

If you’re interested in learning more about the food you are eating and how to prepare it, check out the Cook More Often webpage from Canada’s Food Guide. The York Region Food Network offers a variety of food skill workshops as do many grocery stores. Municipal Parks and Recreation programs also offer cooking classes.

For inspiration, visit the #LetsCook30 Challenge and Canada’s Food Guide Recipe section for tasty recipes and cooking tips and tricks.

3

Feeling confident about food - choosing, preparing, and eating food

Bring the joy back to eating! Healthy eating is about more than the foods you eat. It is also about where, when, why and how you eat. Taking the time to enjoy the taste of food and sharing it with others promotes a positive food experience.

4

Making healthier food decisions most of the time… think balance!

Food choices are influenced by many factors, such as taste, affordability, time, food availability in the community, and more. Food literacy is one factor that can support people to make healthier food decisions most of the time. Practice a balanced approach to eating by:

  • Knowing that all foods can be part of a healthy diet, and feeling no guilt or shame about food choices
  • Enjoying a variety of vegetables and fruit, whole grains and protein foods most of the time
  • Recognizing that food is more than nutrients and can be an important part of celebration, connection, and culture
  • Deciding how much to eat based on hunger and fullness cues
  • Taking time to enjoy meals and snacks with friends and family
  • Learning where food comes from and how to prepare it
5

Improved by having supportive food environments; food system; living situation; and culture and traditions.

Food Environment

The environment we live, work, play and learn in can either make it easy to choose healthy options or can make it challenging. Foods that are not very nutritious tend to be more affordable and are widely available. They are often the foods that are most heavily promoted, whether it’s at the local rink, in school or at work.

Organizations, schools and workplaces should support healthy food choices by improving the food environment. This can be achieved by offering foods promoted by Canada’s Food Guide and limiting the availability of highly processed foods and beverages. The Food Guide Friendly Initiative has information about how organizations can improve their food environment.

The community also needs to ensure healthy food is available and accessible to all York Region residents. 

Food Systems

Food System refers to the elements required to provide food to people from farm to fork to waste. These elements include growing, harvesting, transporting, processing, marketing, selling, consuming, and disposing of food. The food we eat, the ways we produce it and the amounts wasted or lost along the way impacts not only our health but also our environment.

A supportive food system that focuses on health and the environment protects against climate change, promotes fairness and equal opportunities, and supports our economy. Learn more about the role residents can take to improve the local food system and the dietary changes that can be made to improve health and the environment.

Living Situation

Depending on your living situation, eating a balanced diet or having enough food to eat may be challenging for reasons including a lack of income and affordable housing. In fact, struggling to put food on the table is a reality for many York Region residents. Food insecurity, which is defined as not having enough money to buy food, is experienced by about one in 14 households in York Region.

Culture and Traditions

York Region is home to a diverse, multiethnic population. We are fortunate to have many grocery stores in our communities and even some farmer’s markets that offer a variety of foods from around the world. Being able to access foods that reflect cultures and eating habits is an important part of enjoying food. Check out Canada’s Food Guide for tips and ideas on how to learn more about healthy foods that reflect various cultures and traditions.

 

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