Introduction

Good Eating was produced by the Nutrition Division of the Department of Public Health in Regina, Saskatchewan circa 1975 and was later reprinted and distributed by the Ontario Department of Health. Good Eating targets Canadian families and provides simple, low-cost meals that aim to improve the nutritional components of day-to-day meals. Along with sharing several recipes, the thirty-eight pages in Good Eating also include the recommendations of Canada’s Food Guide, two weeks worth of budget-friendly meal planning ideas, and a brief explanation of practical cooking terms and techniques. The cookbook is divided into sixteen different sections; the first half of the cookbook is dedicated to Canada’s Food Guide, nutritional information, meal plan ideas, and cooking tips, while the second half is devoted to sharing recipes. The recipe chapters include Main Dishes, Vegetables, Salads and Salad Dressing, Soups, Sauce and Gravy, Quick Breads, Desserts, and Sandwiches. Each recipe is straightforward, uses common household ingredients, and does not require any advanced cooking skills or special equipment. The simplicity of the recipes, in terms of ingredients and technique, is reflective of the broader social context of Canada in the 1970s. By the later 1960s and early 1970s, the Second Wave feminist movement was occurring, and more women were in the paid workforce. This left many women with less time to shop and prepare meals for their families. A book like Good Eating would have been useful due to its simplicity and focus on health. Additionally, the low-cost meals in Good Eating hints at the economic recession that occurred in Canada roughly between 1973-74. 

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