Back to School Packing Lunches

It’s back to school season, which means for most families that it’s time to pack lunches. Packing lunches can feel like a challenge trying to balance nutrition, budget, variety, food safety, and figuring out what your kids will actually eat. Here are a few tips for streamlining the task of packing lunches.

Get your kids involved – Involve your kids in the decision making and preparation. Decision making can start at the grocery store with simple decisions, for example, “would you like bananas or oranges in your lunch this week?”. When kids can be involved in some planning and decision making about meals, there is a better chance they will enjoy what’s packed! Involving kids in packing lunches also teaches important life skills like meal preparation, grocery shopping, as well as helping them discover their own preferences, and build a healthy relationship with food.

Make lunches the night before – Mornings are busy! Make life easier by packing lunches the night before. Pack lunches while cleaning up supper, especially easy if the leftovers can be packed in lunches.

Pack foods your kids like – Packed lunches are not the place to get your kids to try new foods. Save trying new foods for when they are at home, and in a relaxed environment. Pack foods that you know your kids like, even if that means packing the same items every day. This also means including food items that are just for fun. Different foods have different purposes, some foods purpose is enjoyment. Making these foods scarce only makes them more exciting to kids, and makes them want them more, which can cause a power struggle between the parent and child. When these “fun foods” are available in packed lunches regularly, eventually your child will see them as just another packed item, and will reduce their perceived “obsession” with them. In the long run, this will help kids develop a healthier relationship with food, and help them not feel out of control around these foods when exposed to them as a child, teen, and into adulthood.

Everyone has a job – Feeding kids can be a challenge, and meal times can feel like a power struggle if not everyone knows their job. According to Ellyn Satter, parents and kids each have a job to do at mealtime. At home it’s the parent’s job to provide food regularly, and to decide what, when, and where food is provided for their kids. At home it’s the child’s job to decide if they are going to eat what is provided, and how much. At school, the jobs shift a little. At school, it’s the parent’s job to decide (with input from the child) what is packed in the lunch, it’s the child’s job to decide if they are going to eat what is packed, in what order, and how much, and it is the teacher’s job to decide when and where the food is eaten. This may mean that your child doesn’t eat everything in their lunch or on their plate, but it helps your child learn to understand and listen to their own hunger cues, helping them develop a healthy relationship with food.

Pack a variety of foods – Some kids eat a larger variety of foods than others, and that is ok. Kids are still learning about different foods and their preferences. Here is a lunch checklist to include different important nutrients. If kids are given a snack time at school, don’t forget to pack enough for lunch and snacks.

• Protein food
• Whole grain carbohydrate food
• Fruit and/or vegetable
• Fun food
• Water

Examples:

Homemade “Lunchables”

• Sliced meat and cheese
• Whole grain crackers
• Baby carrots and grapes
• Banana chocolate chip muffin
• Water

Sandwich

• Tuna salad sandwich
• Whole grain bread
• Snap peas and fruit cup
• Brownie
• Water

Leftovers

• Chicken noodle soup in a thermos, hummus or tzatziki for crackers and celery
• Whole grain crackers
• Celery sticks and mandarin orange
• Gummies
• Water

Don’t forget food safety – Use ice packs and thermoses to keep foods at a safe temperature until lunch time.

Dauphin Medical Clinic honoured with 2024 Teaching Site of the Year Award

The University of Manitoba, Department of Family Medicine, held its U of M 2024 Inspire DFM Awards June 5^th. The awards are held annually to celebrate outstanding staff, faculty, residents, and teaching sites who elevate the Department of Family Medicine, improve healthcare, and help to train the next generation of caring and committed family physicians.

The Dauphin Medical Clinic was honoured to receive the 2024 Teaching Site of the Year award. From nominator Dr. Chavi Tejpal, a Postgraduate Year 2 lead resident at the Parkland Family Medicine Residency Unit:

“I support Dauphin Medical Clinic for multiple reasons. The Parkland Family Medicine Residency Program, created in 1991, is the second oldest rural training program in Canada for Family Medicine. With its strong roots and training, Dauphin provides more than academic opportunities for our residents.”

“Having been a part of this program, I have experienced first-hand the exceptional community foundations, resources, and support structures it offers to its residents. One of the standout features of the program is its unwavering commitment to the health of the community.

The availability of resources such as the Primary Care Outreach Clinic (PCOC), public health initiatives such as breast feeding and immunization clinics, and multimodal mental health services ensures that residents are equipped to effectively address a wide range of patient needs.”

Dr. Tejpal says the program fosters a culture of collaboration and support among inter-professionals, providing residents with invaluable opportunities for interdisciplinary learning to enhance patient care.

 “I am particularly impressed by the dedication of preceptors who open their homes as spaces for wellness activities, demonstrating a personal investment in the growth and development of residents. The active involvement and presence of a dedicated dietitian and mental health worker further illustrates the programs commitment to comprehensive care and resident support.”

Dr. Tejpal adds that accessibility of local specialists enhances the learning experience, providing residents with exposure to diverse medical perspectives and specialties such as a geriatric, adult and child psychiatrist, surgeons and unique niches in family medicine such as cancer care, geriatrics, dermatology, obstetrics, anesthesia and emergency medicine.

Dr. Anthony Wightman, who recently completed his first year of the residency program says the Dauphin Medical Clinic plays a vital role in the success of the Parkland Family Medicine Program.

“Manitoba has a vast catchment, diverse population, and skilled physicians. It is the best province to train for family medicine in, and the Parkland program is the best family medicine site within Manitoba for three reasons: its location, the resources, and the team.

The Parkland Family Residency Program is close enough to Brandon and Winnipeg that specialist support is available in emergencies. However, it is far enough that its physicians and residents must often differentiate and effectively treat their patients before support is available or accessible.”

Dr. Wightman concludes this relative isolation means that the residents are driven to be independent, assertive, and skilled in the clinic, ER, and hospital. Residents who graduate from the Parkland program often pursue additional training in anesthesiology and emergency medicine, providing benefit to the residency program and communities as a whole, which is necessitated by some of the area’s remoteness. Medical Clinics and facilities in nearby Grandview and Ste. Rose also play a participating role in the Parkland program.

“The Parkland program’s remoteness is balanced by a significant support network. It incorporates a clinical dietitian, respiratory therapists, and community mental health workers into its training team, which other sites do not. Parkland’s physical setup is also excellent. The emergency room is clean, modern, and has easily accessible ultrasound machines which residents are encouraged to use.”

The Dauphin Medical Clinic is across the street from Dauphin Regional Health Centre. With over 20 physicians, Dauphin has a wealth of family doctors, plus physicians in emergency medicine and anesthesiology, obstetricians and general surgeons to learn from.  Dr. Wightman believes since Dauphin is so well staffed, these physicians have ample time to teach and support residents. This breadth of experience includes disciplines covering obstetrics, pediatrics, general medicine, geriatrics, addictions, emergency, anesthesiology, and palliative care. “I recently completed a month of training at the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre ER – many of the doctors there trained in Parkland and spoke highly of it,” stated Dr. Wightman. “On all my off-service blocks, attendings have spoken positively of the program. Now, after several months, I am honoured to be able to attest to its excellence myself. The Parkland Family Medicine Residency Program, with strong support from the Dauphin Medical Clinic, is the best teaching site in Manitoba.”

Swan Valley Health Centre CT Recognition Event

Health officials, partners, stakeholders and staff gathered outside the Swan Valley Health Centre in Swan River July 31 to formally acknowledge enhancements to diagnostic imaging services in the Prairie Mountain Health region with the recent addition of a new CT Scanner in the hospital. Shared Health and Prairie Mountain Health both sincerely thanked and congratulated local municipal and community leaders for their hard work and generous contribution of $1-million towards the capital investment, which came in at over $2-million.

“We know this service is already making a difference in our region, stated Treena Slate, PMH CEO. “Having this service in Swan River will alleviate hardships on patients and families who no longer have to travel or be transported by ambulance and can now have their CT scan closer to home.”

Slate took the opportunity to once again thank the representatives of the local municipalities and community leaders that got behind the project from the start.

“From my heart, I want to sincerely thank you for your dedication, perseverance and patience as all the necessary details were worked out provincially.”

Swan Valley Medical Services/Recruitment representative Duane Whyte and Swan River Mayor Lance Jacobson, Chair of the Swan Valley Health Facilities Foundation, reiterated that having the new scanner operating in the northern part of the health region is already having benefits not only locally but regionally and provincially. They indicated the new diagnostic equipment further strengthens overall services that are offered at the health centre and will also assist in future health care staffing recruitment efforts.

Mohammed Bhabha, Executive Director of Diagnostic Imaging for Shared Health, led off the proceedings by extolling the benefits of having the CT Scanner in Swan River.

“Until two months ago, residents in Swan Valley who needed this type of diagnostic scan would need to leave the community to get it, with the next closest CT scanner being nearly two hours away in Dauphin. Some patients would have to travel even further, to Brandon and Winnipeg, to get the care they need. This now reduces pressures on emergency response services who often transport these patients, keeping ambulances in this area and available to respond to other calls. And it will open up appointments in other communities, which will allow more people to get the care they need sooner and closer to home.”

The CT scanner was installed within the Swan Valley Health Centre in May. The new diagnostic equipment went into operation in mid-June and is expected to service a population area of approximately 14,000. Two X-ray technologists received training to operate the scanner. For more on that health care training journey, read the related Shared Health article.

You can’t beet ‘em!

Beets are a popular garden vegetable in Manitoba. These vibrant-coloured root vegetables can be enjoyed in many different ways, from soup or borscht to salads, pickles, and juices. There are three basic varieties of Beta Vulgaris (beetroot or beets): chard – grown specifically for its leaves, beets – grown for their round roots, and sugar beets – grown for making sugar from their long, thick root. The red beets normally grown in gardens look very different from sugar beets. While red beets are usually short, round, and a rich red-purple colour, sugar beets are a longer, pointed shape and have white-yellow skin. Beets are rich in nutrients such as Vitamins A and C, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, antioxidants, folic acid, and fiber.

Around the world, sugar beets are grown commercially to be processed into sugar. Canada produces sugar from sugar cane that was grown in other parts of the world, and sugar beets that were grown in Alberta and Ontario. There is only one sugar beet refinery in Canada, located in Taber, Alberta. Approximately 10% of sugar produced in Canada is made from sugar beets. There is no difference between the sugar made from sugar cane and sugar beets, however, if you want to support Canadian beet farmers, look for Roger’s Sugar with a black factory stamp that begins with “22”.

Red beets are known for staining everything they touch a deep pink colour, but did you know there are also yellow or golden beets and Chioggia or candy cane beets? Red beets are the sweetest compared to these other colours.

Beets are often sold in bunches with their stems and leaves attached, but they can also be purchased in bulk without their leaves. Beets sold in bunches are usually fresher, and the first sign of aging is wilting leaves. Choose beets that are no larger than 2 to 3 inches in diameter, with clean, unblemished skin. Large beets can be tough and woody.

To store beets, keep them in the fridge for up to three weeks in the crisper drawer. Remove the leaves 2 inches above the root, this will help the beet retain moisture longer. The beet leaves can be stored loosely in a plastic bag in the fridge, and added to soups or salads. Wash the leaves only right before using them. Raw beets don’t freeze well, however cooked beets can be sliced or chopped up and frozen. Beets can also be pickled, and stored in the pantry for over a year.

Check out these delicious ways to enjoy beets:

Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Recipe – Love and Lemons

Perfect Roasted Beets Recipe – Cookie and Kate

Ukrainian Borscht Recipe (Authentic) – iFoodReal.com