Nutrition and Healthy Eating

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Public Health Nutritionists are part of a population health promotion team to promote the best possible nutritional health for everyone. They work with a variety of community partners (at the local, provincial and national level) to help make it easier for residents to make healthy food choices, to develop nutrition standards and healthy public policy. They address issues like healthy built environments, food security, breastfeeding, early childhood and school nutrition, and weight bias.

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Canada's Food Guide

The newly updated Canada's Food Guide is here and ready to use. Explore the online snapshot, tools and resources following the link below...

Healthy Pregnancy

Baby Friendly Spaces

Baby Friendly Spaces is a program developed in Regina Area to support and encourage families to feed their children anytime, and anywhere.

Baby Friendly Spaces targets facilities, businesses and events to identify that breastfeeding is welcome and provides training to staff for how to do so. For more information, please contact BabyFriendlySpaces@saskhealthauthority.ca

Meal Time with Children

Although what foods we serve is important, the mealtime environment and how we approach feeding may be more important. The Division of Responsibility of feeding is a proven and practical approach. When it comes to eating, adults (parents/caregivers) and children have very different roles or jobs. Our goal is to support parents and caregivers in feeding children well while making mealtime pleasant. The following resources can help you and your family put The Division of Responsibility of feeding into practice to make mealtimes a little easier.

School Newsletters, Information and Support

The Saskatchewan Health Authority, Regina Area, Population Public Health Services, Health Promotion Department is here to support your school in a variety of health areas including nutrition, physical activity, positive mental health, body image, and dental health. The newsletters below highlight some of the new resources, programs, training and initiatives available and coming up near your school. 

School Nutrition Support:

View and Subscribe to our Monthly Healthy Schools e-Newsletters:

Teaching Nutrition in Saskatchewan - Curriculum support documents for Educators

The School Age sub-committee of the Public Health Nutritionists of Saskatchewan have developed SK health and physical education curricula support documents for grades 1-8, physed 20/30 and Health Science 20 called "Teaching Nutrition in Saskatchewan: Concepts and Resources (TNS)," et en Français "Enseignement de la nutrition en Saskatchewan (ENS): concepts et ressources." Download copies here: 

Grades 1-3

TNS English 

ENS French

Grades 4 & 5 

TNS English

ENS French

Grade 6

TNS English

ENS French

Grade 7 

TNS English

ENS French 

Grade 8

TNS English

ENS French (Sept)

Health Sc. 20

TNS English

ENS French (Sept)

PhysEd 20|30

TNS English

ENS French(Sept)

These documents link to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Education Health Education Curriculum, and assist educators in identifying accurate and high-quality nutrition information and links to classroom activities, videos, handouts and other resources to help meet the SK Health Education Outcomes for each grade.

To view a free archived webinar on one of the resources resource click here.

School Nutrition Bites

These nutrition tip sheets are ready to be posted in your school, used in newsletters, as a part of school announcements, posted on the school website or for Facebook or Twitter posts. Share with school staff, parents/guardians, and the community. Developed by the Public Health Nutritionists of Saskatchewan.

Download this year's English versions from the following links:

Packing School Lunches

Involve children and youth in planning and packing lunches. When kids help, they are more likely to eat and enjoy the food!

No Microwave Lunch Ideas

Try some of these easy, healthy lunch ideas. No microwave needed.

Deli-Meat-Free Sandwich Ideas

Sandwiches can be part of a delicious and filling lunch! However, deli meats are a highly processed food and Canada’s Food Guide recommends we limit how many highly processed foods we eat. Thankfully, there are many ways to build a mouthwatering sandwich without the deli meat.

Rethink Your Drink

Enjoy Meals Together

Eating and cooking together with family and friends gives children and youth a chance to try new foods and develop healthy eating habits while learning about different cultures and traditions.

Help Kids to Enjoy a Variety of Foods

Learning to enjoy a variety of foods takes patience and practice. What we tend to label as “picky eating” is often very normal behaviour. Adults can help kids feel safe and supported as they learn by following these tips

Positive Body Image

Body image and self-esteem are linked to how we treat ourselves. It is easier to take care of ourselves when we feel good about our bodies. Children learn how to care for their bodies from adults they love and respect. Help children and youth to develop healthy habits and a positive body image.

Supportive Food Environment

Make the healthy choice easy. A supportive food environment promotes health and learning.

Non-Food Rewards

Using sugary and salty foods as a way to reward good behaviour (i.e. getting dessert for eating veggies or a candy for completing homework, etc.) can be confusing for children and youth who are learning about healthy eating at home and school.

Gardening with Kids

Kids are curious, learn well by doing things and love to dig in the dirt. Caring for a garden or plant can be fun. Gardening helps children learn where their food comes from, how to care for the environment, reduce stress and increase physical activity and much more.

Seasonal Indigenous Foods

Harvesting in Season

Indigenous Food Traditions in Saskatchewan

Back to School Nutrition

Looking for healthy back to school lunch and snack ideas and tips to eating well with children? Visit our Pinterest page  here for ideas

The following handouts are largely picture-based, which can be helpful when providing information to families in which English is not their most proficient language. Resources include:

Packing Safe School Lunches

Healthy School Lunch Ideas 2022

Healthy Eating in Canada

Healthy Concessions, Canteens and Food Hampers

School and community concessions and canteens can help to support the health and performance of students, young athletes, families and community members by offering healthy food and drink options, and they can do all this while still making a profit!

The following resources can help you in planning a tasty, healthy, profitable canteen or concession. They can also help when planning healthy food hampers for those in need:

School Gardening

Interested in learning more about school gardening? Download a copy of the resource below for how to guides, curriculum links and start up guides:

School and Community Healthy Grants List

Looking for grants for your school or community organization to help fund projects and initiatives that help promote good nutrition, physical activity, mental health, access to nature, leadership and/or inclusion? Download the grants list below to browse through some we have come accross.

The Cost of Healthy Eating in Saskatchewan 2018

This is the sixth food costing report in Saskatchewan since 2001. The report discusses how much it costs to buy nutritious foods across the province of Saskatchewan and solutions to address food insecurity. Also included is a food cost calculator to help individuals, families, and groups estimate the cost of healthy eating for a week or a month.

The Cost of Healthy Meals and Snacks for Children and Youth in Saskatchewan 2018

Foods and beverages served in child care settings, schools and community programs can impact children’s health and well-being. The cost of foods, as well as available program funding and budgets, impact the type of foods and beverages served. This resource shows the average cost of healthy meals and snacks for children and youth in Northern and Southern Saskatchewan. Details can be found on page 3. Using these average costs can help child care facilities, schools, and community organizations budget for child nutrition programs. Planning for the cost of healthy food helps to ensure quality food is available in meal and snack programs.

Regina Food Asset Map

Regina Food Asset Map

This map highlights food assets located in Regina (Updated Oct 2022).

Food assets are places where people can grow, prepare, share, buy, receive or learn about food. At this point, the map focuses on meal programs and access to free/low-cost food.

The map is designed to:

  • help people find places in the city that have free and low-cost foods for the public or program participants.
  • support community members dealing with food insecurity.
  • make it easier for Regina community partners to share these food resources with others.

Click on the link below to view the map!

To add or update information about your organization to this map, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/1z6ebAghNZzjZem69

Have any questions about the map or ideas for how to improve it? We would love to hear from you! Please contact reginafoodmap@gmail.com

Download a copy of the handout below with instructions on how to use this map called "Regina Meal Finder Instructions."

Choosing Foods and Beverages for Healthy Meetings and Events

The Saskatchewan Health Authority, Regina Area, Population Public Health Services, Health Promotion Department works to make the healthy choice the easy choice for staff and people within our communities. It is recognized that food is more than fuel for our body; it plays a large role in our social lives, provides comfort and is often used with celebrations. When hosting health authority sponsored meeting or event, it is important to recognize that the food provided at these meetings or events impacts staff’s or client’s food choices. By role modeling a positive food environment, we can:

  • Encourage healthy behaviours that can increase productivity and energy levels;
  • Create a consistent message between our actions and what we teach our staff and clients;
  • Support staff and clients to manage chronic disease and meet their own nutritional goals.

Following the guidelines below shows the public that the health authority is truly a role model for positive health behaviours and committed to improving the health and quality of life for employees and clients.

Finding that people are resistant to providing healthy foods? Needs some tips for making the case? Use the document below, "The Case for Healthy Foods" to help start the conversation. 

Nutrition Update Newsletters

Nutrition Update Newsletters are developed by the Public Health Nutritionists of Saskatchewan Working Group, for health professionals, community leaders and educators. These Newsletters are designed to provide up-to-date information on 'early years,' 'school age' and 'adult' nutrition, and they highlight important initiatives and resources in the area. 

Early Years

School Age

Adult

Accessing Healthy Food Choices in Regina (2012)

This report aims to show the current food landscape in Regina. The report can be used to:

  • start conversations on how better to improve the food landscape;
  • To determine if the food resources are located where clients need them and if clients who need these resources can access available food resources.
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