BY TAMARA VON ESTORFF
Approximately 40 people from Ontario attended a health/wellness webinar by Jenn Potter last Thursday.
The purpose of the webinar is to educate people on the importance of healthy eating. Topics in the presentation included: how to navigate the grocery store, label reading, health washing/claims, budgets, and a clean eating grocery guide.
Potter is a holistic nutritionist. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Community Health from Brock University and diploma for Workplace Wellness & Health Promotion from Centennial College.
“The point of doing these webinars is to empower people to invest in certain products that might be a little more worth it from a quality standpoint and to ensure that they are eating whole foods” says Potter. “My theory and what I like to promote to my clients is that I just want them to eat whole foods and want them to feel their best.”
Some tips she shared with participants included:
Navigating the store: “The first step to navigating the grocery store is to make a list,” says Potter. “You should also set aside enough time to shop, and if you’re really organized you don’t have to spend an hour in there when you can do it in 20 to 30 minutes,” she says. “It’s also important to ensure that most of your groceries are package free, and don’t be afraid to ask questions and read labels!”
Reading labels: “I teach about 3 or 4 classes a week, and most of my classes are students who all come from the same background,” says Potter. “That’s because we have all been taught a specific way to read labels, and most of us just look at calories,” she says. “Looking at calories is important so we can ensure that we eat enough, but we still have to pay attention to the rest of what’s in our food.”
Health washing/claims: “Just because something is considered heart healthy, made with real honey, fat-free or even organic, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s a healthy product.” says Potter. “If you read the ingredients and you see that the ingredients are true, wholesome ingredients and not overly processed, then it probably is a good wholesome product to introduce into your diet.”
Clean eating grocery list: “The overall goal of creating this list is to give my recommendations on products which I think that more people should invest in,” says Potter. “If people are looking for ways to cut back in terms of their grocery list, this is a good way to do it.”
Budget: “I like to give some of my options that I would rather invest in, but there are ways to cut back as well,” says Potter.
For more information on Potter’s upcoming events or to book a consultation session, visit her website.
