George Brown College Hosts Nutrition Symposium

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TORONTO — With healthy eating continuing to gain top-of-mind awareness for most consumers, George Brown College invited the food community to its first Nutrition Symposium on May 26. Themed “Ambition Nutrition,” the day featured a series of addresses by key nutrition experts such as Dr. David Ludwig of Harvard Medical School and Boston’s Children Hospital, as well as Michael Moss, author of Salt Sugar Fat, as well as two panels of leading industry experts and an interactive cooking demo and sampling.

The day started with an opening address by Anne Sado, president of George Brown College, who said “As public concern continues to grow about nutrition and as rates of obesity continue to rise, there has never been as important a time to talk about nutrition.”

Lorraine Trotter, dean of the Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts, told the audience of 300 that “For the past four years, we’ve tried to transform our programs…so that our graduates will go out into the world with a better understanding of nutrition.” She urged the audience to move the agenda forward. “We have in this room the wisdom and experience to do something about it. We have all the ingredients we need to deliver a much healthier vision.”

One of the highlights of the day was a keynote presentation by Moss, who spoke about the food processing industry’s excessive use of salt, sugar and fat to make products convenient and irresistible. He cited products such as potato chips as being so overloaded with salt that it becomes the first thing you taste when you take a bite. Moss said the problem today is many companies have added sugar to products, such as bread, which traditionally have not needed it. “They have created the expectation that everything should taste sweet,” he said.

Dr. Ludwig, who has been billed as an “obesity warrior” by Time magazine, walked the audience through the conventional view of obesity, explaining that while losing weight is about eating less and moving more, there’s more at work in reaching and maintaining a healthy weight — including what you eat, metabolism and stress factors. He cited carbohydrates as one of the true culprits in weight gain, explaining these foods produce too much insulin in the body. Foods like potatoes, bagels and rice all melt into sugar in minutes, he said.

In the last session before the audience proceeded to lunch, Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, cardiologist, professor and dean of Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, told the audience “diet is the single [largest] cause of death,” but nutrition is not typically considered in medicine. “It’s a completely different world than 15 years ago,” said Mozaffarian, but due to mixed messages out there about what’s healthy and what’s not, “the public is confused.” As Mozzafarrian explained, “all calories are not the same,” pointing to the need for increased consumption of vegetables, fruits, beans and whole grains, while noting three vegetables linked to weight gain include potatoes, corns and peas. At the end of the day, he said, “Diet affects health in every way.”

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Rosanna Caira is the editor and publisher of Kostuch Media’s Foodservice and Hospitality, and Hotelier magazines. In her capacity as editor of Canada’s two leading hospitality publications, Rosanna directs the editorial and graphic content of both publications, and is responsible for the editorial vision of the magazines, its five websites as well as the varied tertiary products including e-newsletters, supplements and special projects. In addition to her editorial duties, Rosanna also serves as publisher of the company, directing the strategic development of the Sales and Marketing, Production and Circulation departments. Rosanna is the face of the magazines, representing the publications at industry functions and speaking engagements. She serves on various committees and Boards, including the Board of Directors of the Canadian Hospitality Foundation. She is a recipient of the Ontario Hostelry’s Gold Award in the media category. In 2006, Rosanna was voted one of the 32 most successful women of Italian heritage in Canada. Rosanna is a graduate of Toronto’s York University, where she obtained a BA degree in English literature.

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