Everything Grows

Dietitian Carol Harrison’s Canadian Food Story

Carol Harrison Food Story

Dietitian Carol Harrison is passionate about making healthy eating simple for busy families. She knows how easy it can be for the pressures of life to take over and healthy eating flies out the window.  Carol is full of great ideas and easy tips to help you along at meal time. Carol also loves to meet people up and down the food chain especially farmers to help tell their story and make people feel more confident about their food choices. We are happy to welcome her on board as one of our  Canadian Food Focus contributors. Check out the next few posts to learn more about Carol and her #CDNFoodStory. Watch for more posts from Carol in the future. You can also follow her on Instagram  @yummylunchclub and @greatmealideas.

 

 

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Dietitian Carol Harrison is passionate about making healthy eating simple for busy families. She knows how easy it can be for the pressures of life to take over and healthy eating flies out the window. Carol is full of great ideas and easy tips to help you along at meal time. Carol also loves to meet people up and down the food chain especially farmers to help tell their story and make people feel more confident about their food choices. We are happy to welcome her on board as one of our #CdnFoodFocus contributors. Check out the next few posts to learn more about Carol and her #CDNFoodStory. Watch for more posts from Carol in the future. You can also follow her on Instagram @yummylunchclub and @greatmealideas.⁣ #EverythingGrows

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“I’m a Libra, which apparently means I’m known for being indecisive! Maybe that’s how I came to be a dietitian. I didn’t need to choose art OR science – I could embrace them both, and I honestly love that. I find myself just as interested in taking a food styling course as learning about how to optimize muscle synthesis through diet, showcasing a great recipe on TV or talking to a farmer about how they manage pests. Being a mom to three kids, my passion centers around helping to make healthy eating easier for busy families. For me, that means simple and fuss-free meals without compromising on taste or good nutrition, while enjoying the amazing food we produce right here in Canada. Where can you find out more about me? Visit YummyLunchClub.ca where I aim to make planning and packing healthy lunches easier, while helping kids to build food skills along the way. ⁣ I’d like to hear how you try to keep mealtimes simple and fuss-free? Leave me a comment and tag someone else who might have a good tip to share or might be looking for some “mealspiration.”⁣ ⁣ 📷: #CdnFoodFocus contributor @yummylunchclub @greatmealideas Follow her profile for more #CdnFoodStories 🌱🌱🌱⁣ #EverythingGrows #CdnFoodFocus #CdnFarmStory #CdnFoodStory⁣ ⁣ #ad #whatdietitianseat #cdnag #cdnfoodfocus⁣ #meetadietitian #eatwellfeelwell #eatrealfood #nutritiousanddelicious⁣ #greatmealideas #agvocate #yummylunchclub #healthyeatingideas #everythinggrows #rdkitchenparty #bragaboutAgRD

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“While I love the fact that there is more interest than ever about where and how our food is produced, I’ve noticed a lot of misinformation about food and farming practices. As a dietitian, I find that worrisome because it can needlessly take the joy out of eating, (how sad is that ?), and worse yet, lead Canadians away from healthy and affordable choices. I’ve been on many different types of farms across Canada, and I always leave feeling a sense of trust in the rules, regulations and ultimately the farmers themselves. They are constantly innovating to improve practices, and sincerely care about their land, animals and the quality food they produce for their families and ours. So where can you go to get the facts on food and farming? ⁣ Here are some trusted resources I that I use: ⁣ CanadianFoodFocus.org⁣ BestFoodFacts.org⁣ RealDirtonFarming.ca⁣ FarmFood360.ca⁣ SafeFruitsandVegetables.com (check out the pesticide residue⁣ calculator).⁣ ⁣ If you know someone who is interested in learning more about Canadian agricultural practices, share this and tag them. If you check out any of these links and discover something new, share it here in a comment.”⁣ 📷: #CdnFoodFocus contributor @yummylunchclub @greatmealideas Follow her profile for more #CdnFoodStories 🌱🌱🌱#EverythingGrows #CdnFoodFocus #CdnFarmStory #CdnFoodStory⁣ ⁣ #ad #cdnfoodfocus #everythinggrows⁣ #greatmealideas #CDNAg #agvocate #eatwellfeelwell #thankafarmer #bragaboutAgRD

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“Well, the new Canada’s Food Guide is out, and here’s my take on it. I love that the approach is holistic and less prescriptive, (meaning, if as a Dietitian, I never once counted up servings to see if everyone in my family of five is meeting their age/sex⁣ requirements nutritionally, who will?) The focus on quality food (less processed), cooking and eating together and enjoying our food (including learning more about how our food is produced), is science-based and grounded in good common sense too. While it might seem like the nutrition world is full of complicated rules and controversy, there is one thing I think we can all agree on, and it’s the one thing I wish Canadians would embrace. Stop drinking the Kool-Aid that cooking is a chore; that you don’t have enough time to eat right because other priorities in your life are more important. That feeds into convenience eating, and it’s literally making us sick. It’s making a big dent in our wallets, too – 50% of our calories now come from calorie-rich, nutrient-poor, ultra-processed food, (eg. chips, crackers, cookies, sweet cereals, boxed pizza/meals, hot dogs, pop). Start with one beverage, one side dish, one meal or one recipe at a time. That can mean something as simple as swapping a soda for water with a lime wedge, a no-cook meal of cheese, veggies, hummus and pita bread, or veggie omelets for dinner. Or hey, if you are ordering pizza, put out some apple slices with maple syrup swirled into Greek yogurt for dipping, and some raw veggies like grape tomatoes and carrots, too. ⁣ Trust that cooking and eating together will keep you healthy and happy, and connected with the folks you love. What else really matters? ⁣ What’s your take on the new Food Guide? There is SO much there to take in! Leave me a comment. Tag your foodie friend!”⁣ 📷: #CdnFoodFocus contributor @yummylunchclub @greatmealideas Follow her profile for more #CdnFoodStories 🌱🌱🌱#EverythingGrows #CdnFoodFocus #CdnFarmStory #CdnFoodStory #greatmealideas #eatwellfeelwell #lovefood #whatdietitianseat

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“Every time I go on a farm tour (pic here visiting a dairy farm with dietitian @shancrockerRD), I learn the most amazing untold stories. I mean, farmers are busy producing food, so it makes sense they don’t have the time to share with us city folks all the amazing things happening on farms. And let’s face it – with just 2% of the population producing food for the rest of us, it can be hard to get to know a farmer. So, I’m going to start sharing these untold stories because they are just too coolto keep to myself. Here’s the first one!⁣ Farmers are constantly trying to find new ways to reduce and divert food waste. For example, the nutritious seedy bits left behind after crushing canola seeds for oil is fed to dairy cattle so it does not go to waste. Considering how much canola we produce, I can’t even imagine how many tons of waste is diverted! Added benefits are that less land is used to grow crops for animal feed, and the canola seeds make milk richer in omega-3 fats too. ⁣ Yes, there room for improvement – but from what I can tell from going to agriculture conferences and farm tours is that minimizing the environmental footprint is top of mind for farmers. ⁣ Of course let’s remember that about 40% of wasted food comes from the home front, so we all have some work to do there. My weakness is beautiful vegetables and fruits. I want to buy more than we can eat before they spoil, and I have to remind myself that thankfully in Canada, produce shortages are non-existent – another reason to thank a farmer! ⁣ Are you interested in learning some more untold stories? Leave me a comment. Tag a friend who is interested in food and keep an eye out for more untold stories!” ⁣ 📷: #CdnFoodFocus contributor @yummylunchclub @greatmealideas Follow her profile for more #CdnFoodStories 🌱🌱🌱#EverythingGrows #CdnFoodFocus #CdnFarmStory #CdnFoodStory ⁣ ⁣ #ad #cdnfoodfocus #everythinggrows⁣ #greatmealideas #CDNAg #agvocate #eatwellfeelwell #thankafarmer #cdnag⁣ #bragaboutAgRD #halfyourplate

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“I’m back with a pretty incredible untold story about agriculture in Canada – and this time it’s about beef farms. I know most of us have only heard negative press about livestock, and you might feel like there is no debating the relationship between red meat and the environment. But I ask you to consider this: the Canadian context to the story that has me rethinking beef. ⁣ In Canada, about one-third of our agricultural land is too rocky, hilly or otherwise unsuitable for growing crops – but it’s perfect for grazing cattle. So, not only are we maximizing the value of that land by allowing cattle to turn grass we can’t eat into high quality protein, but by keeping those cattle on the land, we preserve those sensitive ecosystems (grasslands), so that all the plant life that have evolved for thousands of years can continue to thrive. Take the cattle off the land, and⁣ without grazing it becomes overgrown, and the wildlife and plant habitats are⁣ permanently destroyed. For thousands of years the bison did this work and grazed the land, but their numbers have dwindled as we all know. ⁣ So, what about greenhouse gas emissions? I wondered about that, too. Another untold – or more accurately – incorrectly told story. According to Agriculture Canada, GHG emissions from beef account for 2.4% of all GHG emissions in Canada, (compare this to the transportation and fossil fuel industries, which is about 50%). ⁣ Finally, Canadian beef is prized the world over for its quality; and quite frankly, I want my beef coming from a farm in Canada, so I want those farmers to keep on farming knowing they are doing their part to be good stewards of the land. ⁣ Well, what do you think? I believe the Canadian context is important. Is any of this surprising to you? Leave me a comment. Tag a friend who you think might be interested too!” ⁣ 📷: #CdnFoodFocus contributor @yummylunchclub @greatmealideas Follow her profile for more #CdnFoodStories 🌱🌱🌱#EverythingGrows #CdnFoodFocus #CdnFarmStory #CdnFoodStory #ad #beefbelongs #canadianbeef

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More articles by Carol:

4 Quick and Easy Steps to Meal Planning

3 Fabulous Ways to Enjoy Tomatoes

Your Money Saving Guide to Storing Tomatoes

 

Carol Harrison

Carol is mom to three awesome kids. She’s a Toronto-based food and nutrition communications consultant and says she pretty much spends all day reading, writing, cooking or eating food—this is probably why her dog is always by her side! Carol is excited to share insights from her 20-year journey combining her interests in agriculture, food and nutrition.

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