Healthy Eating in the Community
Communities are an important place to promote healthy eating.
Healthy eating contributes to the well-being of individuals and families at all stages of life. The foods available in the community can impact food choices. Access to affordable, healthy food promotes better nutrition and healthy eating habits. The goal is to make the healthy choice the easy choice for people where they live, work and play!
How Communities Can Support Healthy Eating
- Use Canada’s Food Guide when choosing food and drinks to serve at community events such as festivals, concerts, outdoor movies, community breakfasts and dinners.
- Limit highly processed food and beverages that are high in saturated fat, sugar and/or salt.
- Highly processed foods can include:
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- sugary/sweetened drinks,
- chocolate and candies,
- potato chips and pretzels,
- ice cream and frozen desserts,
- bakery products like muffins and cakes,
- fried foods,
- processed meats like hotdogs, sausages and deli meats.
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- Highly processed foods can include:
- Help local businesses and facilities offer healthy options in their vending machines, canteens and cafeterias. This includes recreation, sport, workplaces and municipal buildings.
- Check out the resource Making the Move to Healthy Choices from Recreation NL. In this resource you will find healthy meal and snack ideas, ideas for marketing healthy choices, food safety information, and recipes.
- Use social media platforms to:
- promote Canada’s Food Guide messages,
- promote and inform about community gardens,
- post about local healthy food retailers (such as farmer’s markets).
- Work together with public, private, and community organizations to advocate for, create and apply healthy eating policies. This will help make it easier for people to access healthy food and drinks. Check out this Sample Healthy Eating Policy.
- It is important for communities to support healthy eating. This makes it easier for people to choose and enjoy healthy food and drinks.
Food Programs and Local Resources
Eat Great and Participate is a program that works to increase access to healthy food and beverage choices in recreation, sport and community settings across Newfoundland and Labrador. Check out their suite of print resources designed to support you in making healthier food and beverage choices more available in your community.
The Community Food Action Space website contains information on local programs and resources on food security. It includes local contacts and information to support food action and programs at the community level such as:
- local food map of programs,
- resource library including information on running a community food program
- information sources for your health
211 is an information and referral service funded by the Government of Canada, in partnership with the United Way of Newfoundland and Labrador and its partners. It includes information on topics such as:
- Food banks and referrals.
- Community meals.
- Cooking classes and facilities.
- Food access for seniors/people with disabilities.
- Food delivery.
- Grocery stores, fresh food and producers.
- Growing/picking your own food.
- School meal programs.
Regional Wellness Coalitions provide opportunities for people to become involved in community action around the issues that affect their health by providing leadership, coordination and support for local initiatives. They also have a Wellness Grant Program to support groups and organizations who are promoting wellness in their communities and foster partnerships among community groups.
Funding is available to support community-based active healthy living initiatives, infrastructure or equipment that will help increase physical activity, sport, active recreation and healthy eating for individuals of all ages and abilities.