Eat great and participate: Nutrition at the Labrador Winter Games

Athletes at the Labrador Winter Games are getting a workout this week, along with the fuel to compete to the best of their abilities.

• At the Labrador Winter Games, many mitts make light work

The games coincide with Nutrition Month, a national event promoting healthy eating across the country.

"The events going on all week in Goose Bay for the Labrador Games are a great opportunity to promote those healthy eating messages," said Stephanie O'Brien, a registered dietitian and the coordinator for Eat Great and Participate, a group hoping to get kids eating healthier food.

We're trying to encourage people to enjoy healthy choices.- Dietitian Stephanie O'Brien

O'Brien is also the local coordinator for Nutrition Month in Newfoundland and Labrador.

"I think it fits in because we're trying to encourage people to enjoy healthy choices while they're participating in sporting events like the Labrador Winter Games," she said.

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O'Brien travels to communities, showing off healthier options at events, rec centres, and rinks.

O'Brien said she and colleague Lynn Blackwood, regional nutritionist with Labrador-Grenfell Health, have been working together to provide menu support for the games.

More fruit, fewer fries

Healthy options are provided at all meals, which means more fruit and fewer french fries.

Breakfast at the mess hall includes things such as hot or cold cereal, beans, eggs, meats, pancakes, yogurt, and fruit. While supper is a choice of three entrees all of which are served with vegetables.

"There's a good variety of healthy choices, and some other choices that you may want to choose less often," Blackwood said.

"I think it's a good idea to expose people to healthier choices and I think if people have a healthy choice to make they'll make that choice."

The two dietitians took in some of the games, and brought some healthy snacks along to pass out to spectators and athletes.

"One small change people could make would be to make sure that they're eating a healthy snack before they perform in a sport, or make sure they're having a healthy snack right afterward," Blackwood said.

Eat Great and Participate isn't just targeting the games. The group wants to get the whole town on board.

Happy Valley-Goose Bay declared March as Nutrition Month, and councillors took a pledge to make a small change during the month.

"I'm getting tweets and messages from some of the town council saying, 'I'm doing this and this today,' so I'm really proud that our town council and mayor are participating in the campaign," she said.