Archive for the ‘BC’ Category
Sunday, October 2nd, 2011
We’ve noticed that the hardest part of our Live 5-2-1-0 guideline for some families is the last part: “Choose ZERO sugary drinks.”
Many Canadians enjoy sweet drinks, but are we overdoing it? Drink companies provide a seemingly endless variety of sugar sweetened drinks, many of which are heavily marketed to children. These drinks are often promoted as energy enhancers, thirst quenchers, performance boosters and even as a heathy part of a balanced diet. So it’s no wonder sweet drinks are so popular, especially with young kids and youth.
The fact is, sugary drinks, such as pop, energy drinks and fruit punch, provide little nutritional value and are packed with extra calories. This can can lead to the development of unhealthy weights and future health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.
So how do limit sugary drinks and encourage your family to choose healthy drinks such as water and milk?
Here are some helpful tips from the Healthy Families BC website.
When Eating Out
- Order smaller sized drinks and say no to the free refills.
- Add flavor to water by asking for lemon or lime slices.
When At Home
- Try making your own smoothies and drinks at home so you can control the amount of added sugar.
- Serve drinks in smaller glasses or choose smaller sized drink boxes to stock your fridge.
At the Grocery Store
- Be sure to read the labels and be aware of the sugar content.
- Sugary drinks should not be on your shopping list at every trip to the grocery store.
When Out and About
- Pack a reusable water bottle with you on the go. Keeping hydrated will reduce the urge for sugary drinks.
- Always pack a water bottle in your child’s backpack.
For more tips click here to see the full article, “Sugary Drinks – Less is Best”.
Tags: pop, sugar-sweetened beverages
Posted in 0 Sugar-sweetened drinks, BC, Educators, Families, Prevention | No Comments »
Friday, September 30th, 2011
Did you know that fewer and fewer children are walking to school every day?
In a time where physical activity is declining among school-aged children, walking to and from school offers a vital opportunity for physical activity. There are many reasons why kids don’t walk to school as much – safety, busy schedules and longer distances from school are some – but there are thousands of parents, kids and communities working to make walking to school easier for kids.
October is International Walk to School Month, and we encourage you to get walking – a great way to get at least one hour of physical activity per day – see the Live 5-2-1-0 page for more suggestions! Check out Canada’s International Walk to School page, the national Active Safe Routes to School project, and BC’s walk to school organization, HASTE-BC for more suggestions on how to make walking safe and fun for kids.
Some great reasons to walk to school, the park, the rec centre or your friend’s house:
- In many communities with traffic problems, it’s faster!
- It’s a great way to spend time with friends
- It’s good physical activity
- It helps you know your neighbourhood better
- It helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change
Tags: activity, environment, pedestrian safety, traffic, vehicles, walking
Posted in 1 hour of activity, BC, Canada, Community Leaders, Educators, Events, Families, World | No Comments »
Monday, September 26th, 2011
SCOPE Lead Dr. Shazhan Amed contributed an editorial to a special section in the Vancouver Sun today – and we’re excited to share it with you:
“Where do we begin? Communities can stand behind a common message that clearly demonstrates how to live a healthier lifestyle.”
– Dr. Shazhan Amed, SCOPE Lead, and Pediatric Endocrinologist
Click here to download the rest of the article, or see your Vancouver Sun today!
To find out more about the 5-2-1-0 guideline that Dr. Amed wrote about in her editorial, click here.
Tags: SCOPE team
Posted in BC, In The News, Live 5-2-1-0 | No Comments »
Thursday, July 28th, 2011
We’ve talked before about the benefits of cooking together as a family, and much of the same reasoning applies when we talk about eating together as a family. Eating as a family is your opportunity to show your kids how you value food, what makes a good meal, and that spending time with each other is important. These are attitudes that can last a lifetime.
Better Together is a great BC resource all about cooking, eating and even cleaning together as a family.
Check out the grocery shopping toolkit as well as their cooking and eating tips, but most of all check out their recipes! The lentil-chickpea dahl recipe is enough to set your stomach rumbling.
Once you’ve been inspired, visit the contest page and start considering your entry! This could make for a great rainy day activity.
Tags: Cooking, eating, kids, kitchen
Posted in BC, Families | No Comments »
Thursday, June 9th, 2011
Wednesday June 8th, SCOPE attended the 11th Annual Nutrition Forum put on by the BC Dairy Foundation in Vancouver, titled “A Healthy Look at Obesity: Focusing on Solutions.”
The forum was attended primarily by dietitians from across the Lower Mainland. The presentations consisted of four diverse speakers, each of whom was so interesting we thought it would be worthwhile to briefly highlight each one.
Dr. Diane Finegood of Simon Fraser University performed the introduction, summarizing the complexity of obesity, and asserting that solutions would require a systems approach that addresses the interconnections of all the actors and players.
Dr Linda McCargar of the University of Alberta gave a technical presentation summarizing her work on metabolic flexibility. Using body calorimetry Dr McCargar examines how metabolic differences can predict risk for obesity.
Dr Linda Bacon began her bold presentation by challenging some of the fundamental beliefs held in the nutrition and metabolism field. Dr. Bacon argued that improving health behaviours could provide the health improvements most people seek through weight loss, and that by taking the focus off weight loss, we not only make our expectations more realistic (considering the low success of weight loss by diet and exercise methods) we promote more a accepting outlook on weight that does not shame or demonize any particular body type.
Finally Arlene Cristall of BC Children’s Hospital gave us a passionate overview of the Shapedown program, their successes, and also future goals of this family-centered treatment program.
We had a great time listening to all the speakers, and also chatting with all the friendly attendees that stopped by our booth to learn about SCOPE!
Tags: experts, Nutrition
Posted in BC, Events | No Comments »
Thursday, May 26th, 2011
Next week is BC’s Bike to Work Week! Both of SCOPE’s pilot communities, Prince George and Abbotsford, are participating along with other cities and communities across the province.
Biking to work (and school!) is a great way to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. Biking burns calories not gas, which means biking is both cheaper and healthier than commuting by car. SCOPE’s community coordinators will be out and about next week, manning our SCOPE booths.
It’s not to late to get involved! If you’re interested in participating in the Fraser Valley, Prince George, or elsewhere in the province, visit the Bike to Work website to learn more or to register.
Tags: activity, Events, exercise, local
Posted in 1 hour of activity, Abbotsford, BC, Events, Families, Live 5-2-1-0, Prince George | No Comments »
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011
Wondering what all the fuss is about?
To follow up our entry about eating in-season from a couple weeks ago, we’d like to feature a clip from CKPG News’ Food for Thought Series. This segment is all about the benefits of eating local food and is filmed at the Prince George Indoor Farmer’s Market. And for those of you with sharp eyes, you’ll see SCOPE in the background, proudly supporting!
Tags: community, Food, food choices, local, media
Posted in 5 vegetables/fruits per day, BC, In The News, Live 5-2-1-0, Prince George | No Comments »
Monday, March 28th, 2011
Spring had started to poke out its head here in Southern BC, but after a somewhat sunny weekend, we are back to a rainy forecast. Meanwhile our Northern half of the province is still seeing snow! But that hasn’t dampened my enthusiasm. As far as I’m concerned spring is on it’s way and this is just a minor setback. With such a mood, I find myself with a new appetite for lighter, season appropriate meals.
Continue reading “A Glimpse of Spring: Eating in Season” »
Tags: Food, food choices, local, veggies
Posted in 5 vegetables/fruits per day, BC, Live 5-2-1-0 | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011
The Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) has launched a new health promotion campaign called Live Right Now across all of their platforms, including local and national media, radio, television and on their comprehensive website. Some of the components include
Million Pound Challenge: Challenging Canadians to pledge to lose a million pounds.
Village on a Diet: Citizens of Taylor, BC, a small town with one of the country’s highest obesity rates, star in a reality show that documents their work towards the goal of losing 1 Ton in 10 weeks, with the help of experts and each other to shape up and get fit!
Challenges: Sign up to take a series of challenges – from the community level to the family or individual level – walk around the block, ride a bike, shovel the walk… think it up, write it up, and challenge your friends!
Physical Activity Challenges
Media-wide coverage of health and fitness-related topics to help Canadians learn more about the problem and ways to deal with it.
Check out the intro video!
Follow Live Right Now on Twitter, Facebook and on the web!
Tags: CBC, community, media, Programs, resolutions, videos, weight
Posted in BC, Canada, Community Leaders, In The News, Live 5-2-1-0, Pop Culture | No Comments »
