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| French fries illustration |
Game officials have decided to get rid of junk food at the Canada Summer Games and instead, are offering a full menu of healthy foods, according to a statement released by officials.
Athletes who crave French fries are out of luck at the Canada Summer Games village after it has been declared a junk food free zone.
Instead, the young competitors are being given a variety of nutritious offerings without limits of how often they can go through the cafeteria each day.
"The point is to try to get athletes off to a good start with proper nutrition in order to help them achieve better results,” nutritionist Christiane Azzi, who is distributing the food at Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Quebec, said. The 17-day event is set to end this week.
In the village Games, athletes are tempted with made to order omelets, pasta and stir fry stations. There deli bars, where they can make their own sandwiches, comes with a salad bar, two types of soups, and a cold bar with cottage cheese and fresh-cut fruit. Dishes include lasagna, beef stew and chicken tagine. There are also gluten-free and kosher options.
Even the pizza was transformed into a healthy wheat crust, vegetables and not too much cheese.
"There's something for everyone," Michael Little, food and beverage manager for Sodexo, who lives year-round at Bishop, said. "Even if you have specific dietary needs, you can still enjoy a meal that is cooked in front of you," he said.
Little said the athletes did not mind not having junk food.