My gut hates Canadian food

I know Canada has a high rate of UC incidence which is no doubt due to high number of genetically-prone people

Also maybe less sunlight ergo less vitamin D.

We traveled throughout Florida recently and noticed quite a diversity of food choices. In the northeast near the St. Augustine area the grocery stores were terrible.

But the southwest area, near Naples, was a pleasant surprise. Naples is a relatively small but affluent city on the beach. The Publix grocery stores, the same grocery chain that was little better than shopping at a 7/11 store in the St. Augustine area, were completely different here. It was like shopping at Whole Foods with an abundance of organic goods but at reasonable prices. Not to mention they do have Whole Foods as well as several other very healthy grocery and colossal health food stores that were just as good and better than what I am used to.

Boca Raton is another area with good food choices. It is also very affluent. I guess the bottom line is the local residents decide with their pocket books what foods will be available. What are the affluent areas of Canada, Vancouver? I bet they have good food choices there.

I think pretty much the east coast anywhere !

Sorry your having such troubles imagardener. Normally i'm excited when people visit Canada so I can be like, "did you try Poutine?!" but in this case, it sounds like your gut isn't happy.

On the subject of going out, the very few things i'm dealing with are whether my french fries are fried or battered, and same with corn chips. :( Also alcohol. Even though the FDA claims there is less than 20PPM in grain distilled liquors, I feel like some of these bother my gut.

Glad the scenery was to your liking otherwise! Too bad you can't stay for one more month, Canada is so beautiful in the fall season.

Hmmm... I grew up in NS but never displayed UC symptoms til I moved away.I always ate a good assortment of veggies and other foods growing up. I do know Erin Brochovich has been receiving many inquiries recently due to high incidence of cancers, etc. in that region. Lots of pulp mill pollution in that area.

Hey! I'm from Nova Scotia, born and raised. I lived there until I was 22 before taking off overseas. I still visit home every year or two and partake in the food.

No, we're not the kind of people who eat really well. Luckily I didn't suffer from UC at all until I moved overseas so the food there never caused me any physical distress, but I was awfully fat growing up. It wasn't until I became a vegetarian in my teens that I lost all the weight (100lbs) and learned good food apart from bad.

Most people I know in NS eat nothing but carbs, sugar and processed cheese. Mac & Cheese, beef, potatoes and more potatoes, gravy, fish & chips, greasy garlic fingers, coffee with a bucket of sugar in it, donuts/timbits etc. 80% of my high school graduating class is morbidly obese now. I hover at around 160lbs and people tell me to lose weight overseas... then I visit Nova Scotia and people tell jokes about how thin I am ("ack! You turned sideways and disappeared, beanpole!")

That's not to say there isn't good food in Nova Scotia, though. As a vegetarian living in a country where there are no vegetarians, going to the supermarket in Nova Scotia when I visit is a treat. There is so much healthy food it isn't even funny. When I go to Halifax, I can basically eat whatever I want, and usually end up eating extremely healthy/delicious food ranging from Falafel platters to homemade, whole grain pastas.

The real, depressing reason most Maritimers eat garbage is because we're all mostly poor. The Maritimes are all Blue Collar. The cost of living is high, everything is expensive (including food), and most people have salaries hovering around minimum wage (especially people under 40). Restaurants and eateries cater to people who eat nothing but french fries and Kraft Dinner from Wal-Mart at home.

I drove from Bridgewater to Cape Breton and back last year with my wife, stopping to eat a lot along the way. There is usually something healthy on the menu--you just gotta look for it!

Um, isn't IDAHO known for POTATOES???

Yes, I'm Canadian and yes, I'm a little offended...the IBD rate throughout Canada changes, first AB (where I'm from) was the highest, then NS became the leader for a high IBD rate.

I'm pretty sure (in AB at least) we have VERY strict guidelines when it comes to our food...you make it sound like Canadian food is ALL full of chemicals and junk...not likely.

We're known for our beef in AB, we have quite the pride in our beef...I ate a steak years ago when we went to Montana for a long weekend and I honestly don't believe we were really eating beef at all...hope I didn't offend any Americans....lol

Remember that the obesity rate in Nova Scotia is lower than around 45 American states (yet higher than most Canadian provinces). We're not that bad ... We just eat weird stuff! Like donairs and garlic fingers (a side dish when you order pizza) with donair sauce.

Garlic fingers:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic_fingers

Here are some with donair sauce: http://eatthistown.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/pdfingers.jpg

darn, this is making me hungry! We usually order them alongside pizza.

Donairs:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doner_kebab
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doner_kebab#Canada

Basically, they're popular in Turkey and for some random reason became really popular in Nova Scotia. They became somewhat localized too. One of the only foods you can get pretty much anywhere at 3:00am in Halifax.

My family and I (hubby, 2 young kids and myself) vacationed two summers in a row, back to back years and we loved Canada. This was of course LONG before my IBS like symptoms/woes though, 1994 and 1995. We visited Huntsville, Barrie, Sudbury and Sault Ste Marie first year. Second year Huntsville, Barrie, Bracebridge (for Santa's Village) and drove thru Montreal, but vacationed in Quebec City. We returned to the US the second time thru Maine. First time Michigan after having a day long trip on the Snow Train (it was in July though).

I've never been PEI and would love to go (my oldest daughter and I are avid Anne of Green Gables fans, have been since she was little and this daughter is now 26).

Thanks for the friendly suggestions.

Since I'm on a aspartame purge kick of late, I wonder if they think nothing of adding aspartame, phenylalanine to products too? The USA isn't any better, need to emphasize this, aspartame seems to be in SO MANY foods and drinks now.

Post Edited (Marsky) : 9/2/2013 8:34:27 AM (GMT-6)

OMG, Quincy, you've NEVER HAD POUTINE!!! you're not a real Canadian then lol!

As far as food goes, different cultures amongst all the provinces, just as it is across the US...anyone can eat healthy if they want to regardless where in north America they reside in...it's all in how you shop and cook. And yes, the obesity rate in the US is much higher compared to Canada, the population is higher in the US too though.

All I know is that artificial sweetners, including aspartame, aren't good for you.

Science Girl - have to disagree with you, but if you want to risk having phenylalanine, aspartame in your system, be my guest. I realize now it's practically everything, even ingredient lists that list "natural flavors or flavoring", that's code for aspartame. So it's probably a lost cause but I'm going to give it a serious effort not to have it in my house, my system or my family member's systems either.

Aspartame is the chemical used to create formaldehyde, when I discovered this fact, it really freaked me out.

Post Edited (Marsky) : 9/2/2013 6:28:56 PM (GMT-6)