Bring the Family Back to the Table Together with the Sobeys 21 Days to Healthy Eating Challenge!

With after school activities, working late and busy schedules it’s no wonder that families eat fewer and fewer meals together. Yet eating meals together as a family is beneficial for the entire family’s health. Whether it is breakfast, lunch or supper at home in the park or the arena, families can still enjoy a nutritious meal together! Family meals not only improve nutrition, and encourage better communication and socialization for family members, but they also help save money and even have been linked to children doing better in school. Healthy eating means to eat nutritious and balanced meals.

Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide categorizes food into four food groups: i) vegetables and fruits, ii) grain products, iii) milk and alternatives, and iv) meat and alternatives. Foods from the four food groups are rich in the nutrients needed to support the health of people of all ages. Families should aim to include foods from 3-4 food groups at breakfast, lunch and supper. Filling their plates with nutritious foods like colourful fruits and veggies, whole grain products, and low fat dairy products will ensure that families are eating healthy meals and getting the nutrients needed to maintain both long and short term health. For more information on healthy eating go to Health Canada’s site (www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide) and learn more about healthy eating with Canada’s food guide. Healthy U (www.healthyalberta.ca) is another great website full of resources, recipes and articles to help families understand nutrition and make healthy eating easy!

Communities ChooseWell values the importance of family meals and invites you and your community to take part in the Sobeys 21 Days to Healthy Eating Challenge and to eat at least one home-cooked, healthy meal together every day for 21 days. The challenge is happening across Alberta from September 9-29th, 2013. Families can pick up a logbook from any Sobeys or IGA store and register online at www.arpaonline.ca/choosewell/events to win some great prizes, including grocery gift cards, cookware, family activity kits and more! Participating ChooseWell communities can also win a healthy living grant!

Be sure to encourage people and organizations in your community to “Like” the Communities ChooseWell Facebook page (www.facebook.com/communitieschoosewell) and follow us on Twitter (@ARPAChooseWell), where they can share stories, recipes, meal conversation ideas, tips, etc. with ChooseWell and others. Also check out the resources on our website to help you get your community excited about the Sobeys 21 Days to Healthy Eating Challenge!