Hastings Prince Edward Public Health is eager to partner with local health care providers to promote healthy eating.
Recommendations and Resources
Nutrition Guides and Directories
HPEPH recommends the use of Canada’s Food Guide to guide food choices and eating habits to help Canadians improve their health, meet nutrient needs, and reduce the risk of chronic disease.
For infants and children, we recommend use of the 2019 Pediatric Nutrition Guidelines (Birth to Six Years), which have been developed by the Ontario Dietitians in Public Health. This ODPH document provides evidence-based nutrition guidelines and red flags for healthy, full-term infants and children up to six years of age for health professionals.
Supporting Healthy Behaviours
The emphasis on obesity in health care today often leads to a strong focus on body weight. Many factors, including genetics, age, and income, can affect a person’s body size and the choices available to them. It is important for children and adults to learn that their personal worth is not related to their body size.
Words and actions intended to help clients improve their health can cause unintended harm, resulting in lowered self-esteem and negative body image. People who feel good about themselves and their bodies are more likely to adopt lifestyle behaviours that lead to improved health and reduce the risk of chronic disease, independent of weight status. We encourage health professionals and the community to suspend any negative biases or judgments associated with weight and to focus on promoting healthy lifestyle behaviours instead.
