Balanced meals—even for those who can’t cook

Tanya Reid, dietitian at Digby General Hospital, and Leona Willman, one of two cooks who run the hospital cafeteria, have complimentary ideas on food.

Sitting around a table decorated with shamrocks for the approaching St. Patrick’s Day, both are promoting the idea of balanced meals and healthy preparation.

Willman wants people in the community to realize they can have meals in the cafeteria from noon to 1 p.m., and she has some advice for those who think good taste and hospital food are mutually exclusive terms. “You should ask the people who dine here. It’s all cooked here and there are some regulars who come to the hospital for the full dinner. A couple from the Islands come in for the dinner whenever they’re in town.”

While staff and hospital visitors are frequent diners in the 40-seat cafeteria, Willman is anxious to spread the word about the Meals of Wheels program. A taxi driver picks up meals for delivery in town seven days a week and the price is a reasonable eight dollars that includes the delivery charge. “My concern is what people in the community have for their meals,” said Willman. “There are people who need our Meals of Wheels service but don’t know about it. “They don’t have to be elderly to take advantage of the service. Shut-ins or people unable to cook for themselves can, too.”

Some people buy their dinner in the cafeteria and then get soup to take home for supper, and some pick up the entire meal because the cafeteria does a take-out business, she adds.

With her dietician’s concern for nutrition, Reid is keen on the kitchen’s food preparation, and its lack of a deep fryer. “Baking and steaming are much better than frying,” she says. Tailor quantity to individual

But when she looks at growing problems in North America with obesity, she says the answer isn’t simply cutting out some food types—like the low carb diet of a few years ago.

A nutritionally balanced diet requires moderation, she says. “It’s all about quantity and a diet that’s tailored to the individual.”

In that diet, however, she’d like to see an emphasis on fruits and vegetables—low in calories, high in fibre and essential nutrients—and the most important of the four food groups.

Since moderation is the key, she doesn’t have any objection to the menu of the day in the cafeteria: baked haddock with mashed potatoes and carrots. And because it’s Friday, it’s also ‘cheat day’ for the staff, so a hotdog and french fries are available. As the kitchen doesn’t have a deep fryer, the fries are baked.
Nutrition needs a boost for over-50s Men and women over the age of 50 need a daily vitamin D supplement.

The need for vitamin D increases after the age of 50. In addition to following Canada’s Food Guide, everyone over the age of 50 should take a daily vitamin D supplement of 10 µg (400 IU). Vitamin D and calcium are important for bone strength and to reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures in older adults. Can I meet my vitamin D needs through food?

Canada's Food Guide recommends having 500 mL (2 cups) of milk every day for adequate vitamin D. After the age of 50, vitamin D needs are higher than can be obtained from food and a daily supplement is recommended in addition to following Canada's Food Guide. Can I meet my vitamin D needs from sun exposure?

Men and women over the age of 50, have a reduced capacity to produce vitamin D through sun skin exposure. Therefore, it is recommended all adults over the age of 50 take a daily vitamin D supplement.