By Lauren Gough – Special to the Sydenham Current
Thursday night the 4H Eberts Lifeskills Club presented their achievement day meals in the presence of Emily Meko from Eat What’s Good.
Emily Meko was a guest speaker talking to the 4H group about healthy nutrition, gluten free and vegan food along with some exciting news.
The 4H Eberts Life Skills group has been meeting weekly over the last six weeks exploring ways that members can cook and create good food fast.
4H club members range in age from 9-21 years old and take part in a number of clubs within Chatham Kent.
Last Thursday’s meeting was an achievement day. Each Life Skills Club member invited a guest, prepared, and cooked a nutritious food item using skills and knowledge learned in the last few weeks. Chatham Kent continues to have a great 4H program in many areas of life skills, agriculture, and livestock. If you know anyone aged 9-21 who would like to become a member, check out our Facebook Page at Chatham-Kent 4H or www.4-hontario.ca.
Guest speaker Emily Meko studied Applied Human Nutrition at the University of Guelph and explained to the 4H members that this program is a stepping stone to a career as a certified Dietician.
She loved the idea of being hands on and creative and a part of hospitality and tourism so she attended the George Brown Culinary Arts School.
Emily is the owner of Eat What’s Good that specializes in vegan and gluten free food that has been operating in Chatham over the last five summers. She explained to 4H club members that using her passion, skills and being an entrepreneur, her business has enabled her to completely pay for her schooling.
Club members had an opportunity to ask Emily about vegan and gluten free food. Emily explained vegan food as “a type of diet that has nothing that has come from an animal and there are a few reasons why someone might consider being vegan.
It can be very healthy choice, for ethical reasons, or for religious reasons. Another reason is for sustainability and reducing our carbon foot print. The plant matter that goes into raising a beef cow to market exceeds the amount of food we are able to get from the cow.”
Emily stressed that any dietary changes must be made with the proper education to ensure that you are healthy and getting the correct nutrition. Club members asked Emily if you are vegan and not eating meat then how do you get your protein.
Emily explained “Vegan protein sources come from beans and legumes, nuts and seeds, and whole grains. It is important to get multiple sources of plant proteins when eating vegetarian and vegan as they are missing some amino acids. If you eat two different sources you will be getting the proper amount of amino acids you require. They fill in the spaces that each one is missing.”
A gluten free diet is food that does not contain any wheat or wheat products.
Emily explained that some people make this choice of diet for health reasons that it makes them feel better or having been diagnosed with Celiac disease which is an inability for the body to breakdown and use wheat.
4H Club members were treated with a sample of Emily’s Black Bean Fudge and an exciting announcement.
Eat What’s Good will be opening a permanent store front location at 67 St. Clair Ave in Chatham within the next couple of weeks.
If you are interested in learning more about vegan and gluten free food along with the offerings at Eat What’s Good follow Emily at www.eatwhatsgood.com.
