(March 4, 2013) - Mr. Speaker, March is National Nutrition Month.  Nutrition Month has been celebrated worldwide since 1980 and it focuses on the importance of healthy eating and the positive impact it has on our health and well-being.

Healthy eating is important at every stage of our lives. Proper nutrition contributes to the development of healthy babies. It supports physical growth and brain development in early childhood. Kids who eat healthy foods do better at school. Young athletes need to eat well to fuel their performance. As we all grow older, healthy eating helps to avoid chronic disease.

Mr. Speaker, in Canada the increasing rates of unhealthy weights among children are becoming an epidemic. According to the Curbing Childhood Obesity report from the Public Health Agency of Canada, more than one in four children in Canada is overweight or obese.

This can lead to serious health issues like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. If we do not address this now, our children will grow up to be less healthy and have shorter lives. This is why it is important that we focus on improving the health of our children by preparing healthy family meals, which means getting the healthiest ingredients and taking the time to cook healthy foods.

With busy lifestyles, we do not always cook, but we should still make sure we provide healthy food for our children to support their growth and development.

Mr. Speaker, in January, Health and Social Services and Education, Culture and Employment held an early childhood development roundtable. Everyone shared their fundamental belief that children must be given the best possible start in life.

One of the best ways to do this is to give children the foods they need for proper growth and development. This begins with pregnant mothers eating proper foods.

Once the baby is born, families and communities can best support the mom and baby by promoting breastfeeding and then giving them healthy foods to eat as they grow and develop.

Mr. Speaker, I really cannot state more strongly that parents need to invest in children right from the start with the right foods.  Not only does unhealthy food risk a child’s overall health, but poor nutrition negatively affects proper brain development, making it hard for a child to learn at school.

Too many sweet foods lead to obesity and tooth decay.  Too much sugar, salt and fat at an early age leads to chronic diseases.  In the NWT, too many baby teeth are extracted, more than half of our population 18 years and older is either obese or overweight, and diabetes is on the rise.

The Department of Health and Social Services is taking steps to respond to these issues.  This year, we are working on healthy food guidelines for early childhood development.  We are also sending out 2,000 dental kits to families with young children, and providing training for Healthy Family program workers.

We will create “Healthy Beginning” toolkits for early child development workers that support healthy eating and active living.  Drop the Pop is supporting school-based activities to reduce high-calorie, sugar-sweetened beverages. In November, the NWT/Nunavut Chapter of the Canadian Public Health Association and the Department held a workshop with representatives from local governments, NGOs and businesses that explored how communities can prevent chronic diseases by taking steps to create healthier environments through partnerships.

Mr. Speaker, healthy habits are ingrained early in life and are very hard to change as people get older.  If we don’t change course, the sad truth is that today’s parents are predicted to outlive their children because they will develop chronic diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

We must all pull together.  We are doing this with partners like the Northern Nutrition Association and our very own registered dieticians. We are very proud that we have Registered Dietitians and members of the Northern Nutrition Association providing services through the Health and Social Services Authorities. Through partnership with the Northern Nutrition Association and Authorities, there will be several events taking place to recognize National Nutrition Month. The Association will host a Facebook and twitter feed, the Department will post nutrition tips and nutrition videos on its website, and dietitians throughout the territory are volunteering to hold menu planning sessions for organizations such as Bailey House and grocery store tours.

Through these initiatives and partnerships, we will help to improve the health of our territory’s children – our most valuable resource.

Thank you.