With the growing consumer interest in eating healthy and fresh food, chefs and the food service industry have taken notice and started to adapt their menus to be more health conscious. On May 24th FSN was invited to present and host a display table at an innovative event called What's Shakin'?: Healthy Eating and Sodium Reduction in Restaurants and Food Services. While the focus was on sodium reduction in the food industry, this event also touched on a lot of other topics.
Participants were able to:
- hear about the the development of a national framework for the provision of nutrition information in restaurants and food services and the BC Informed Dining Program
- join local chefs as they showcased their talents with cooking demonstrations to highlight healthy eating and sodium reduction
- check out navigation stations to learn all about Health Canada and Dietitians of Canada websites to access the most up to date food and nutrition information including the % Daily Value and Label Reading, Canada’s Food Guide, recipe analyzer, eat tracker, etc.
- get acquainted with FSN, hear about the newly formed Farm to Cafeteria network in Canada, and learn how to grow sprouts at home.
Participants at the event were from a lot of different areas including public health, restaurants, chefs, community initiatives, academic institutions, food service providers, not-for-profit organizations, and students. Organizers of the event included College of the North Atlantic Staff (cooking, marine cooking and nutrition and food service management), NL Chef's Association , Restaurant Association NL, Department of Health and Community Services and Department of Innovation, Business & Rural Development.
Collaborative events like these, that bring different sectors together to share resources and ideas, are hugely important for inspiring improvement in this province's healthy eating. At What's Shakin'? government, academic institutions, professional associations and the private sector got together to take a real look at what's happening locally and started to brainstorm ways to grow. We thought it was important to highlight this event and let you know about the momentum in NL in regards to healthy eating.
The chefs' demonstrations were definitely the highlight of the event for many people. We were able to pick up this low-sodium recipe to share through Root Cellars Rock and taste tested it first just to be sure. Enjoy!
Heart Health Balsamic Glazed Vegetables
A colourful and delicious side dish that could also be turned into a main dish as a filling in a wrap.
30ml olive oil
300g mushrooms, shiitake or button
7 asparagus spears
300g cherry tomatoes
30ml balsamic vinegar
5ml dried thyme
1 clove of garlic, minced
2ml salt and pepper
a pinch of sugar
125ml white wine (optional)
Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook; tossing for 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms begin to brown. Stir in asparagus spears and cook tossing with mushrooms for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, white wine (optional), vinegar, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, for 2-3 minutes or until tomatoes start to split.
Makes 2-4 servings.
