Must-reads of 2007: The Cost of Eating in BC

During this week between Christmas and New Year's Day, many writers publish their annual "best of" or "year in review" lists for books, films and assorted topics. I thought I'd do the same for nutrition resources.

First is what I consider a must-read for dietitians practicing in British Columbia:

The Cost of Eating in BC 2007

Because I work in an environment (acute care hospital) where, no matter their financial resources, patients are fed (assuming they have an appropriate and timely physician's diet order), usually I don't have food security issues at the top of my mind.  This is one reason I put off reading the article immediately. The second is I thought it would be a long and dry technical document that would require an hour or more to read and digest. Not true as I discovered yesterday when I finally downloaded and read it. The report is extremely well-written, a model, I think, for communicating facts and stats in a readable format. If I limit myself to three adjectives to describe it, I would choose: concise, compelling and disturbing. 

I felt overwhelmed after I read the report. Where to begin? Well, whether as dietitians or concerned citizens, we may want to start with one of the actions listed on page 9. Here's one to consider: become informed by joining a community food coalition and learning more about food initiatives where you live.

More "must-read" and "best of" posts to come before the end of the year. I'm hoping to do some marathon blogging this weekend to make up for my Holiday hiatus.