NUTRITION MONTH: A TIME TO ENJOY

Collaboration with St-Méthode Bakery

For Nutrition Month this year, how about putting guilt on hold to instead focus on the joy of eating? In a Léger survey conducted early in the year for the Équilibre group, I was surprised to see that 41% of respondents felt guilty about not eating better! Do we really need to feel guilty about eating foods considered to be less healthy? Absolutely not. It’s all a question of balance!

Of course, healthy eating means making healthy and nutritional foods a part of your daily diet, but it also means enjoying foods you love in a mindful way. Mindful eating involves concentrating on the present moment by engaging all your physical and emotional senses in appreciating food. Research has shown that this approach can have benefits on psychological well-being and can increase the joy of eating. Pleasure is an integral part of mindful eating. It is synonymous with a more relaxed relationship with food, as opposed to one defined by restriction and deprivation. Food-related pleasure can come from discovering new flavours and foods, but it isn’t simply limited to eating. You can also derive pleasure from grocery shopping, cooking, or socializing during meals.

Respecting your tastes and preferences by choosing foods you love is a good place to start to make room for pleasure. Honouring traditions is another good way to bring pleasure to your plate. Food is intimately related to culture and traditions. Certain foods are associated with events or times of the year—like turkey at Thanksgiving, chocolate at Easter, or maple syrup during sugar season. There’s no need to deprive yourself of these celebrations, or to feel guilty.

In Quebec, the maple sugar season is well-rooted in tradition. It marks the end of winter and the arrival of spring, as sugar bush operations begin, sugar shacks open to visitors, and satisfying one’s sweet tooth becomes a must! During this festive period, it’s fun to return to one’s roots by laying out a table filled with products that bring up fond memories. St-Méthode’s Homestyle Loaf, as the name implies, brings back the taste of that good old-fashioned bread of days gone by. Made with wheat from Quebec, this loaf is a source of fibre and 12 essential nutrients—but great taste is what it’s all about in this case. Used to make French toast, topped with maple syrup, this bread is sure to bring a lot of joy to your weekend brunch. Let’s celebrate the arrival of spring by enjoying great maple products and some of Quebec’s other 

Want to know more about St-Méthode Bakery's product line? CLICK HERE

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