Good Food for Life

If you are a woman with breast cancer living on your own, preparing food for yourself during your treatment may be a real challenge. If you have a family, you are probably worrying about feeding them as well as yourself. We would like to help.

Good Food for Life is a program for survivors of breast cancer diagnosed prior to menopause and finished treatment within the last three years. The program supports lifelong dietary changes because eating a healthy diet, high in fruits and vegetables, is universally accepted as being beneficial to overall health and wellness.

Food has intrinsic meaning in our lives reaching far beyond its basic function of nourishment. Breaking bread together builds relationships and nurtures the soul. Food connects us to the earth and can stimulate our creativity. In this era of fast food, many of us have lost touch with the broader meanings of food and the basic skills of its preparation.

The Good Food for Life program offers breast cancer survivors an opportunity to experience food on all these dimensions. Participants can attend workshops on healthy cooking. The program will also offer social and interactive hands-on food skills; personal reflection and mindful eating; the opportunity to be connected to local food sources; and interactive discussions about key issues related to food and the environment.

Participants are encouraged and supported to make and sustain self-directed changes to their diet. When good food is associated with nurturance we are motivated to eat well.

Read what one recent particpant has to say about the Good Food For Life program in a recent interview with the Toronto Sun. And click here to download another recent article from the Medical Post.

There are 2 program sessions offered throughout Metro Toronto 2007.

Good Food For Life Sessions for 2007

Spring session:
May 14, 28, June 4, 11, 18, 25, July 9, 16
10am-1pm
Loblaws Victoria Park

Fall session:
Sept. 24, Oct. 1, 15, 22, 29, Nov. 5, 12, 19
6-9pm
FoodShare kitchen, 90 Croatia St.

What you’ll learn:

• Vegetables: Discover the Rainbow
• Bumping up Your Fruit
• Grains — The Good Carbs
• Beans and Legumes
• Fibre for Fitness & Disease Reduction
• Getting the Right mix of Protein: Meats, Fish & Vegetables
• Choosing Calcium Rich Foods
• Convenience and Packaged Foods: Choosing Wisely
• Fear of Frying — Friendly Fats
• Fun Foods: is there room for them in a good diet?
• Eating well, personal reflection and mindful eating

Participants will also receive a Wellness Box containing healthy foods and some prepared meals. There is no charge for the workshops or for the Wellness Box.

Follow-up with participants helps support dietary changes. It also allows FoodShare to evaluate the program and share successful approaches with other agencies and community groups.

Good Food for Life provides practical assistance, health promotion and education, ongoing social contact and support, and the potential for life-long healthy changes that improve a survivor’s quality of life.

Want more info?
If interested in signing up for the sessions or want more information, contact:
Sandra Flear, Project Coordinator
phone: 416-363-6441 xt. 248 or
email: goodfoodforlife@foodshare.net