What is lacking in the average DTES diet is local seasonal produce, healthy sweets (bananas/dates/figs), dishes made without additives and refined sugars, gluten and wheat free foods, alternatives to dairy products – generally speaking fresh, identifiable foods. Food is a determinant of health – emotional and mental health included.
The nutritional goal of the DTES NH is to prepare healthy whole foods, purchased from local sources and from our neighbours at Sunrise Market and in Chinatown. We shop according to the logic of the season, choosing foods with those who are the most nutritionally vulnerable in mind. We prepare foods remembering what our Japanese neighbours say, that we eat with our eyes before we ever take a bite.
We take every modest opportunity to remind DTES residents of our right to quality food. We use the offering of food to reflect back upon our neighbours our inherent dignity, deservedness and welcome.
We strive to do our part in raising nutritional standards in the DTES where far too many good people remain nutritionally vulnerable.
Food allergens, diabetes, Hep C, HIV/AIDS, heart and stroke health are considered in our menu planning. Recipe ingredients are listed. We use only non-toxic cleaning products and purchase Fair Trade coffees and teas. We avoid refined sugars, processed foods, gluten, non-stick cookware, silicone, aluminum foil/pots/pans, plastics for prepping/cooking/ serving/storing foods, Eurocentric menus – and soup, as it’s the food relentlessly offered to those living in material poverty. We take responsibility for educating existing and potential food donors about which foodstuffs are the ones on which our neighbours thrive.
Above, we have linked to pages which contain recipes which compliment our Food Philosophy and nutritional standards. As time allows we’ll add far more pages. Enjoy.
