Tara Kearsey
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 16/00) - Healthy foods may be expensive in the NWT, but pre-natal programs offered in almost every community ensures participating mothers-to-be are not undernourished.

Fact File 10 kg. flour Holman $27.78 Inuvik $14.99 Tsiigehtchic $15.99 Fort McPherson $15.29 Rae $12.99 Yellowknife $8.59 Hay River $8.99 Skim milk powder Holman $9.75 Inuvik $7.29 Tsiigehtchic $6.99 Fort McPherson $7.35 Rae $6.39 Yellowknife $5.15 Hay River $4.45 2% milk (2 litre) Holman $6.55 Inuvik $3.51 Tsiigehtchic $2.39 Fort McPherson $3.69 Rae $2.95 Yellowknife $2.45 Hay River $3.09 White or brown bread Holman $1.99 Inuvik $1.99 Tsiigehtchic $1.99 Fort McPherson $2.19 Rae $1.99 Yellowknife $1.35 Hay River $2.29 1 dozen large eggs Holman $2.99 Inuvik $2.60 Tsiigehtchic $2.75 Fort McPherson $2.99 Rae $2.59 Yellowknife $1.97 Hay River $1.99 1 kg. hamburger Holman $3.99 Inuvik $8.60 Tsiigehtchic $9.00 Fort McPherson $3.99 Rae $6.69 Yellowknife $6.49 Hay River $7.29 2 lb. carrots Holman $4.43 Inuvik $3.79 Tsiigethchic $3.25 Fort McPherson $2.79 Rae $1.49 Yellowknife $1.59 Hay River $2.19 1 kg. oranges: Holman $0.92 ea Inuvik $4.82 or $0.90 ea Tsiigehtchic $0.65 ea Fort McPherson N/A Rae $2.99 Yellowknife $2.19 or $0.43 ea Hay River $2.65 1 can frozen orange juice: Holman $2.99 Inuvik $2.99 Tsiigethchic $2.79 Fort McPherson $2.99 Rae $2.99 Yellowknife $1.49 Hay River $2.39 SOURCE: EpiNorth, Summer 2000 -- Prices collected by Growing Together, Hay River, Dogrib Rae Band and IRHSSB, June 22-July 6.

The Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program is offered in 25 communities and more are being set up.

Their purpose is to educate and provide pregnant women with healthy foods and nutrition counselling, especially to those who have difficulties financing a good, healthy diet.

Elsie De Roose, nutrition consultant for the territorial Department of Health and Social Services, said many women in the North cannot sustain a proper diet because of the high cost of food.

"If there's not enough quality or quantity of food, you will have mothers that are not at their peak, that's for sure," she said.

De Roose has written several articles on prenatal nutrition over the past few years. In her research, she has discovered that many expectant mothers in the NWT are considerably lacking key nutrients such as folic acid, calcium and iron, which relates to a lack of dairy products and fruits and vegetables in their diets.

Those three nutrients are crucial during development of an unborn child and during the time a woman is breastfeeding.

Healthy food

The Canada Prenatal Nutrition Program, however, has helped improve the level of nutrition the health and well-being of mothers-to-be and their children.

The programs are community-based, which means not all programs are operated in the same way, said De Roose, but most of them offer cooking classes, education sessions which involve the distribution of snacks. In some communities, food items are distributed to the women and in others, food vouchers are handed out.

Brenda Hall has run Hay River's Growing Together program for three years.

There, women can attend two prenatal cooking classes and two prenatal nutrition classes per week.

Hall said all classes are attended by at least two and as many as eight expectant mothers weekly. Growing Together also offers home counselling for those women who do not feel comfortable in a group. The center offers transportation to the classes as well for those who request it.

"I think the classes are going over very well because we stick to a non-structured approach. It's more of a gentle learning approach," she said.

Harriet Francis runs the Prenatal Nutrition Program through her work as organizer of the Brighter Futures program in Fort McPherson.

At least 12 to 15 mothers-to-be attend the classes each week.

There, Francis distributes different food items to the women each week, making sure they receive enough to last at least a few days. She also tries to provide them with enough food for their children as well, as some mothers tend to put their children's needs before their own.

Francis said food costs are high in the community, especially when buying fresh produce.

"If I see fresh fruits or vegetables that are (cheap) at the local Northern store or the Co-op I buy them right away and try to give them out before they go bad," she said.

Tena Baryluk said the McPherson prenatal class helped her greatly when she was pregnant.

Although she said she did not have any problems purchasing healthy foods, as her husband has a good source of income, Baryluk said she learned many things about pregnancy and nutrition that she never knew before.

"It helped me to understand why we needed to eat which foods to help with the growth of the baby," said Baryluk, who has since given birth to a healthy girl.

She also learned what she should and should not be eating during the time she is breastfeeding her child.

The formation of a Prenatal Nutrition Program in Ndilo is currently in the works, pending funding approval from the federal government.