Healthy Canadians

I am a frequent visitor of the Government of Canada website.  I love their Food Guide, as you can see from previous posts.  It's a helpful tool for families to use when meal planning, and is a great reminder of what foods your children need to feed their minds and bodies.

Recently, I've seen television commercials from the Government of Canada discussing expiry dates on car seats, as well as the link between sugary drinks and childhood obesity.  So I decided to check out their Healthy Canadians site, specifically the Kids' Health and Safety tab.  You can find it at http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/kids/.  I was impressed at the amount of quality information available.

Here is a small sample of topics listed on the Healthy Canadians site under the topic of Kids' Health and Safety:

• Bullying
• Childhood Obesity
• Recalls & Safety Alerts
• Immunization
• Online Safety Tips
• Toy Safety

With so many things to worry about as a new parent, finding information that you can trust can be overwhelming.  The internet makes finding information easy, but you really have to be careful with what sites you can trust.  Your doctor or pediatrician is an ideal person to consult with, but they are not always readily available anytime you call.

The Healthy Canadians website is a trustworthy Canadian source that is available 24-7.  The site may not answer all of your questions, but it does focus on many common family issues.  Aside from my Mom, my Dr Spock book has always been my go-to for information about my children's health and well being.  But I sometimes have questions that require answers with Canadian content.  I love that I can find that on Healthy Canadians.

If you know any expecting or new parents, or new Canadian families, do them a favour and refer them to this site.  Car seat, toy, and water safety are three important concerns for new parents, and views about them may differ between Canada and other countries.

We may not always like the things that our government does (ahem...taxman) but I must give kudos to the Government of Canada on their Healthy Canadians site.  I know that I will be reading more from the site and will be telling my family and friends to check it out.  And I suggest you do the same!