Celebrating the Pleasure of Healthy Eating

Abstract

To show Canadians that good nutrition and good taste go hand in hand, the Canadian Dietetic Association (CDA) launched its 1995 National Nutrition Month (NNM 95) campaign theme “Celebrating the Pleasure of Healthy Eating” by partnering with the Canadian Federation of Chefs and Cooks (CCFQ inviting consumers to enjoy the pleasure of healthy eating through exploring the diversity of our food supply and our multicultural, ethnic and regional cuisines.A comprehensive Resource Manual was developed for health professionals to provide background information for programs and activities developed on the theme and provided information on: exploring the pleasure of food, taste and taste preferences, dietitian and chef partnerships, food service and healthy choices, ethnic light, food traditions across Canada, vegetarianism and a look at how well Canadians are eating. Valuable marketing tips were provided for promotion at local and national levels along with campaign art, posters, brochures and fact sheets.A special recipe brochure featuring regional recipes created by Chef and RD teams was produced as an insert for a national magazine. An additional one million brochures were distributed to the public via community activities by dietitians and by partner groups such as Health Canada, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Cancer Society, the Canadian Home Economics Association and food retailers. Interactive consumer facts sheets and a colourful theme poster were also developed for use in high traffic areas in the community. An extensive public relations program exposed Canadians to the theme including a major kick-off campaign, covered by local and national media.To illustrate how one province (Ontario) promoted the NNM 95 theme, the Ontario Dietetic Association (ODA) and the CDA received a government grant to sponsor a “Travelling Road Show” featuring two Chef and RD teams who demonstrated great tasting, healthy and easy-to-prepare recipes based on Canada's Guidelines for Healthy Eating and emphasizing our diverse food supply and multicultural cuisines. The success of the NNM 95 theme “Celebrating the Pleasure of Healthy Eating” was overwhelmingly positive and dietitians and chef partnerships were highly publicized as health and taste experts in print and electronic media. The strong alliance between CDA and CFCC promises to expand in the future offering new business opportunities as well as a heightened awareness by the public that nutritious is delicious! An exciting off-shoot of the campaign theme is the creation of a cookbook featuring over 200 recipes developed by chef and dietitian partners across Canada.