Together with the Queen Victoria Market, Samantha Cowan was thrilled to develop and host the ‘Everyday Superfoods Tour’, a novel addition to Melbourne’s Market Week, running over five days in the month of September this year.

After participating in many food market tours locally and around the world, Samantha felt inspired to develop a food tour that focused primarily on nutrition, as well as food quality. I saw an opportunity with the Queen Victoria Market to engage with an audience already interested in fresh produce, in a stimulating environment that supported my goal – to demonstrate how optimal health can be achieved using a variety of everyday foods.

The ‘Everyday Superfoods Tour’ stopped in all food-selling areas of the Market, including the Meat and Fish hall, Fruits and Vegetables, and the Deli hall. We discussed the many ‘everyday’ food sources of key nutrients and phytonutrients (including antioxidants), the health benefits of consuming these nutrients in their ‘wholefood’ form, sustainable sources of meat and seafood, the differences between organic and conventional food production, and the differences in nutrient density between everyday and exotic ‘superfoods’. Also discussed were current diet trends, including gluten free, and how to select, store and cook the foods highlighted in the tour.

The tours were free to the public, and spots sold out quickly via the Queen Victoria Market website. Audience members were engaged throughout and had lots of questions. Overall, the tours were extremely well received by both the audience and the Market staff.

These tours demonstrate another pathway for Accredited Practising Dietitians to promote the dietary guidelines, wholefoods, and evidence based nutrition advice to the community. With the success of this series, Samantha is hopeful to continue running the tours across all major metropolitan markets beyond Market Week. Stay tuned!

Samantha is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Accredited Sports Dietitian. She has private practices in Caulfield, Prahran, Footscray and Rowville.

Contact Samantha via email: [email protected]

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