Instead of fries, pop and Slushies, the Tecumseh arena concession stand had bananas, apples and bottled water on its front counter Tuesday.
Heather Nadon, a registered dietitian with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, eyes some fruit at the Tecumseh arena concession stand Dec. 15, 2015. The fruit is part of a new healthy eating program called Take Charge which is being tried in Tecumseh and LaSalle.
The fruit is part of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit’s new healthy eating program called Take Charge. It will offer healthier eating choices at recreation centres in Tecumseh and LaSalle and was launched Tuesday morning at the Tecumseh arena.
Take Charge makes the healthy choice the easy choice, Heather Nadon, a registered dietitian in the health unit’s chronic disease and injury prevention department, said Tuesday. The barrier to healthy food choices is often the cost and availability and the pilot project is trying to address that.
“The messages of the program are simple and that is to fuel up on vegetables and fruit and to drink water to quench your thirst,” Nadon said.
The pilot project, which will run until March, will see a couple recreation centres in Essex County offer fruit and water at prices that are equal to or less than the less healthy concession stand grub, she said. The concession stands will set the prices and for a limited time recreation users in Tecumseh and LaSalle will receive coupons to get free fruit, she said. More healthy food options such as wraps and smoothies, and other locations in Essex County are expected to be added.
Heather Nadon, a registered dietitian with the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, launches the Take Charge healthy eating program with Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara Dec. 15, 2015 at the Tecumseh arena.
Recreation centres are already helping people lead active lives so it makes sense that concession stands would have healthier food choices, she said. There will be contests and there is a loyalty program where residents will get a free drink tumbler after buying eight Take Charge items.
Jordan Casey, 21, said he’d enjoy having healthier choices.
“The fruit would definitely be a benefit,” said Casey as he headed inside the Tecumseh arena with his ice skates. “Something refreshing would be nice.”
He doesn’t eat the fried fare at the concessions stands.
The health unit is promoting the Take Charge program by saying there is the potential for increased revenue by tapping into a new market of customers. Nadon said two other recreation centres will likely be added in January and the health unit wants to add more.
Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara said the town is proud to be part of the pilot project.
“If we want a healthier future we need to work in our community with our community partners to seize opportunities to support not only physical activity but as well to improve the access to quality, healthy food choices,” McNamara said.
