Campaign encourages Canadians to fill half their plate with vegetables
“The Half Your Plate message is a simple and straightforward way to focus on adding more fruit and vegetables to our meals – it makes it easy to know how much we need to stay healthy and help prevent chronic disease,” said Lake.
“B.C. has a number of programs that help people make the healthy choice the easy choice at home, at the grocery store and in their communities.”
February is Heart Month and making healthy choices like eating more fruit and vegetables, as well as increasing physical activity, stopping smoking and reducing stress can lessen the chance of chronic diseases including heart disease and stroke.
“Choosing fresh and local B.C. fruits and vegetables can be a great recipe for a healthy plate, a healthy lifestyle, and a healthy economy,” said Letnick. “Serving B.C. produce on “half your plate” offers great tasting options that are good for you, and good for the farmers and food supply security in our communities.”
“British Columbia grows a variety of field and greenhouse vegetables making it easy for British Columbians to fill half their plates with nutritious and delicious choices,” said Ron Lemaire, president of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association. “The Half Your Plate website provides healthy eating tips, easy and quick recipes and links to resources such as local dietitians and ideas for healthy eating on a budget.”
The B.C. government is promoting the simple Half Your Plate message to British Columbians through Healthy Families BC. This online resource helps educate British Columbians through practical tools and information to help people live healthier lifestyles.
In 2016, the Province, through the Provincial Health Services Authority, provided a grant of $230,000 to the Canadian Produce Marketing Association to help increase fruit and vegetable consumption among British Columbians. Together, these organizations will pursue opportunities to engage the public in their homes, at the grocery store and online with tips, tools and incentives that help make it easier for them to fill half their plate with fruit and vegetables.
For more information:
Ministry of Health Communications
Tel: +1 250 952 1887
www.halfyourplate.ca/
www.healthyfamiliesbc.ca/
