July 2019 View this email in your browser

Community Health Centre: Healthy People, Vibrant Communities

July 2019 Newsletter

We are happy to announce that the “First Annual CHC Golf Tournament-Presented by Chapman’s”, raised a total of $25,000. These funds will be used to launch our Cardiac Rehabilitation program in Fall 2019. Thank-you to our volunteers, staff and Board members for their support and a big thank-you to all of our Sponsors.

Program Highlights & Upcoming Events

LGBTQ2S+ Connection News: If you were at the Flesherton Farmers Market on June 22nd, you may have met one of our volunteers sharing information about LGBTQ2S+ Health. If you are interested in having a display at your event, please let us know. Thank you to the volunteers and community members who participated in the LGBTQ2S+ Picnic in July! We had a lovely turn-out on a very hot & sunny day! The group will take a break for August as our office is closed on our regularly scheduled day, but stay tuned for the location and activities for September. We typically meet on the second Tuesday of the month. If you would like to receive emails about our local group, feel free to contact Crystal at crystal.ferguson@segchc.ca.
It's not too late to file your taxes! We know that life happens and sometimes we don’t always get our taxes done on time. If you haven’t filed your income tax and benefit return for 2018 (or previous years), you can still do so. For people with a modest income and a simple tax situation, our Community Volunteer Income Tax Program can likely help you. Filing your taxes can get you benefits such as the GST credit (four times per year), Trillium Benefit (monthly), Canada Child Benefit (monthly), and the Climate Action Incentive (one time refund).
Backpack Program: We are proud to partner with United Way so that local families can pick-up backpack in Markdale and Dundalk over the summer. If your family needs a backpack for school in September, please call 2-1-1 to order. Once the backpacks are ready, United Way will call you to pick-up your backpack at one of the Community Health Centre locations. You can learn more about the program by calling 2-1-1 or visiting: https://unitedwayofbrucegrey.com/services-offered/backpack-program/
Community Gardens: Our gardens are in full swing and starting to produce lots of veggies! Just a reminder that most of the gardens are planted and harvested privately. Please only pick from the garden plot labelled as “Snack Garden” or come in to our building to ask about other ways to access fresh food. If you like what you see, consider signing up for a garden next season!

Nutrition in Pregnancy
by Elena Usdenski, RD, MScFN

Are you pregnant or thinking of starting a family? Did you know your diet and nutritional status prior to conception and during pregnancy can affect both the mental and physical health of your unborn child?
Most of us are familiar of the importance of iron and folate/folic acid during pregnancy. But there is so much more to it! One nutrient in particular that most health care professionals are NOT aware of (yes, even some dietitians) is choline. What is choline you ask? Choline is an essential nutrient needed for proper liver, muscle and brain functions, fat metabolism and an important component of our cell membranes.
Choline is particularly important during pregnancy for both mom and baby because

It supports healthy brain growth and offers protection against neural tube defects
Important for healthy brain growth
Choline intake during pregnancy may be associated with good mental health for children later in life
Choline is a key nutrient for promoting metabolism and supports liver health
Choline may help with knowledge retention and memory

You might be thinking, “I take a prenatal multivitamin so that provides me with the nutrients I need”. Unfortunately, most prenatal multivitamins DO NOT contain any choline. In fact, only 8% of pregnant women are meeting their requirements!

So how much Choline do we need?
Pregnant women require 450 mg/day of choline and lactating moms require 550 mg/day.

Where can we find it?

Food	Amount of Choline (mg/serving)
1 cup of soy flour, defatted	201
Salmon, sockeye, smoked, 3oz	187
1 whole egg (including the yolk)	125
Quiona, uncooked (1/2 cup)	60
Chicken, roasted, 3 oz	56
Turkey sausage, cooked, 3oz	55
Wheat germ, toasted, 2 tbsp	50
1 cup of cow’s milk	38
½ cup of cauliflower	24
½ cup of cooked green peas	22
1 oz of almonds	15
½ cup of broccoli	15
½ cup of Oat Bran	15
2 tbsp of ground flaxseed	11

Source: USDA Database for the Choline Content of Common Foods, Release Two, January 2008; USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 20.

Choline is just one nutrient which is critical during pregnancy. A balanced diet consisting of adequate protein, a colourful variety of fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, whole grains, oily fish and dairy all play a critical role in prenatal nutrition. If you have questions regarding adequacy of your diet for a healthy pregnancy or if you are struggling with infertility, feel free to schedule an appointment with one of our Registered Dietitians.

Multicultural Day Brunch
By Kara Wedde, Program Assistant

The South East Grey Community Health Centre recently celebrated Multicultural day, which took place on June 27th 2019. With this celebration we strived to raise awareness surrounding Multiculturalism and Multicultural Day. We wanted to focus on building an inclusive community, while also outlining the importance of belonging within the community. We asked students from both Highpoint Community School and Dundalk and Proton Community School to submit their favourite family recipes from all over the world. Those recipes were celebrated and some of them enjoyed at the Erskine Community Health Centre Multicultural Brunch.

All the delicious recipes that were submitted were compiled into a cookbook that can be accessed here. The recipes can also be found at the Southgate Ruth Hargrave Memorial Library as well as the Erskine Community Health Centre, or online.

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