On the Matters of Health and Nutrition

By Taewon Kook

CPABC staff and members enjoy a holiday meal. Writer Ty is in the forefront in yellow.

Cerebral Palsy Association of British Columbia’s Youth Without Limits group meetings
provide opportunities to discuss various topics from the perspectives of people with disabilities
(PWDs) and to obtain useful information.

During a meeting about health and nutrition on July 28, 2017, I shared my experience of my one dependence on Red Bull. And one of the members reminded me that just one can of Red Bull
has more caffeine than three cups of coffee, which not be healthy for the long run.

Learning more about nutrition

Food served at Cerebral Palsy Association of BC Community Connections event.

Laura Aresnalt, a licensed dietitian, provided us with tips on how to formulate well-balanced dietary plans, such as eating whole grains to gain long-term energy, as well as summaries on various vitamins.

Surindra Sugrim from Quest Food Exchange, an organization that provides affordable food items for PWDs, gave a summary of the services while handing out discount cards. She assured us that they inspect every food items, which are second hand items obtained from other businesses, multiple times for clients’ safety.

Fun conversation with fellow members

The advantage of attending a group information session is that people get to listen to each
other while sharing their knowledge when dealing with an issue. The process strengthens a
community while giving everybody an opportunity to speak out. By sharing my experience with
energy drinks with other members in the meeting, I have learned a healthy way to gain energy
with nutrients and vitamins and to get help from health organization.

Reflecting on the meeting, I realize that budget and accessibility are paramount issues for
everyone, even more for PWDs. While organizations like Quest are there to make this possible for us, it is still a topic that warrants further discussion and action. Getting enough nutrients to stay healthy is the first step for everything.