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Articles from the "What's in your cart" column, featured in The Globe and Mail

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How an Italian finds the right ingredients for classic Roman dishes in Canada

This Easter, Erica Foffi and her partner hosted their two best friends for lunch. The couple wanted to prepare a traditional Easter meal of frittata di asparagi (an omelette with asparagus), lasagna and pastiera – a pie of rice, ricotta and candied fruit – typical Easter dishes they grew up eating in their Roman homes.

Like Foffi and her partner, who immigrated to Canada from Rome in 2023, her best friends are also newcomers, having immigrated here from India.

“They never tried Italian Easter....
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How registered dietitian Abbey Sharp shops for groceries

As someone who has been helping people improve their health with food for more than a decade, Toronto-based registered dietitian (RD) Abbey Sharp has answered a variety of questions, including whether stress is making you lose weight or gain weight and what she eats in a day, on her YouTube channel Abbey’s Kitchen. Using research from scientific journals, she informs her hundreds of thousands of followers about nutrition and eating habits.

Her main goal is to combat disinformation around diet c...
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How a lobster fisherman and professional Strongman shops for groceries

Welcome to The Globe’s series, What’s in my cart?, where we ask Canadians how they stock their kitchens. Have your own personal grocery story? Share it here.

Between April and June each year, Lucas DesRoches begins his day before sunrise to fish for lobsters just off the north coast of Prince Edward Island.

The work is tough – it’s physically demanding, requires strength and takes place in cold and wet conditions. DesRoches parks his boat alongside the 123 other lobster fishermen who typically...
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How this Nunavut grandfather grocery shops for his 12-person family

Welcome to The Globe’s series, What’s in my cart?, where we ask Canadians how they stock their kitchens. Have your own personal grocery story? Share it here.

Alan Sim grocery shops for a family of 12. Feeding a dozen people – including a son, his girlfriend, eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild – is a feat in itself, but on top of having many mouths to feed, Sim has also dealt with the challenge of grocery shopping in Canada’s Arctic for 30 years.

The 68-year-old lives in Cambridge Bay...
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How a doctor with iron deficiency shops for groceries

Welcome to The Globe’s series, What’s in my cart?, where we ask Canadians how they stock their kitchens. Have your own personal grocery story? Share it here.

During her second trimester of pregnancy, Justyna Bartoszko’s shortness of breath and fatigue became undeniable.

She, like one in four women, had become iron deficient during her pregnancy, and her levels of the mineral reached so low that she became anemic.

“After I had my iron infusion, it was really remarkable how much better I felt,”...
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How this PEI-based chef shops for ingredients for West African dishes

Welcome to The Globe’s series, What’s In My Cart?, where we ask Canadians how they stock their kitchens.

When Ghanaian chef Ian Mensah Bonsu moved to Canada in 2017, it was difficult to find West African food or grocers where he lived: Charlottetown.

Compared with Canada’s multicultural hubs such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, the population of the Prince Edward Island capital has been relatively homogenous. But, spurred by provincial efforts to boost PEI’s declining population, there has...
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Travelling 30 times a year, I’ve learned how to buy healthy groceries at home and abroad

Welcome to The Globe’s series, What’s In My Cart?, where we ask Canadians how they stock their kitchens.

Twenty-five to 30 trips a year can sound taxing for the average person, but for Jennifer Bain, it’s become the average. The Toronto-based freelance travel writer, and former Toronto Star food and travel editor, is used to jetting off frequently. But constantly eating in airports and restaurants made it hard for her to maintain healthy eating habits, and eventually, after more than two decade...
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To battle hypertension, this 82-year-old looks for low-sodium foods and natural flavour-boosters

Welcome to The Globe’s new series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens.

Meticulous measuring, testing and documenting were routine for Sandra Nowlan when she was a microbiology and biochemistry student at Cornell University in the 1960s. Years later, she took that attention to detail she practised in the laboratory to the kitchen after changing careers from scientist to writer.

She tested hundreds of recipes before publishing Delicious DASH Flavours i...
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How a woman with rheumatoid arthritis shops for food that keeps her symptoms at bay

Welcome to The Globe’s new series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens.

Cristina Montoya was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that causes inflammation, at the age of 21. The onset was quick, says Montoya, whose symptoms began with swollen fingers.

“I wasn’t able to lift a piece of paper without hurting myself,” says Montoya. The pain in her fingers became so unbearable she needed help showering, getting dressed and feeding he...
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The best change for my wallet and diet? Giving up my car and getting groceries delivered

Welcome to The Globe’s new series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens.

Giving up his vehicle began as an experiment, says Dale Henry, a 65-year-old Toronto resident. He retired from a 23-year career as an emergency services worker last year and, shortly after, retired his car to see if he could make do without one. Almost immediately, he found it fundamentally changed the way he grocery shopped.

“Without my car, I can’t do those major marathons where...
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As an ‘anti-diet’ fitness instructor, my grocery trips are guided by intuitive eating

Welcome to The Globe’s series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens. If you’d like to tell us your story, fill out this form or e-mail reporter Daniel Reale-Chin at: realechin@gmail.com

Before Daniela Luchetta became a personal trainer in early 2020, she had always enjoyed keeping active. She felt healthy and physically capable, but she was overweight – food was always a significant part of her Italian-Canadian family life growing up in Toronto’s Little...
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How this parenting expert prioritizes protein when grocery shopping for her young daughters

Welcome to The Globe’s series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens. If you’d like to tell us your story, fill out this form or e-mail reporter Daniel Reale-Chin at: realechin@gmail.com

Natalie Syrmopoulos describes her two young girls (ages 11 and 8) as gladiators: strong-willed and full of energy. In her own career as a parenting coach, the 46-year-old has been using her own experience as a mother and a wife, coupled with her background in psychology...
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Hunting is a long-standing tradition in my family. Here’s how I shop for groceries

Welcome to The Globe’s series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens. To share your thoughts, fill out this form or e-mail reporter Daniel Reale-Chin at: realechin@gmail.com

Michael Caufin had his first experience hunting as a 13-year-old adolescent when he and his 12-year-old cousin joined their fathers’ hunting group at the Hullett Provincial Wildlife Area, about two hours west from where he grew up in Vaughan, Ont.

“The most important lesson I got fr...
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Since finding relief from IBS symptoms, my diet has become healthier. Here’s how I grocery shop

Mia Ionescu began experiencing the debilitating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) as a teenager. The abdominal pain, bloating and constipation or diarrhea, which are called the “ABCDs” of IBS, often gave her anxiety, especially when she was out with friends.

“After eating I would feel a sense of urgency and anxiety that was so overwhelming,” says the 35-year-old. She was diagnosed with IBS, a gastrointestinal disorder that affects the intestines, digestion and how the brain interprets...
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My extended trips to Italy changed how I grocery shop in Canada

Welcome to The Globe’s new series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens. To share your thoughts, fill out this form or e-mail reporter Daniel Reale-Chin at: realechin@gmail.com

Toronto-based Fil Bucchino first learned how the abandonment of olive groves affects the land on a visit near his hometown of Florence, Italy.

“This causes two problems: fires and flooding,” says 50-year-old Bucchino, who moved to Canada as a teen.

That visit fuelled his olive...
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How a 67-year-old dragon-boat racer shops for quality protein and foods that fuel

Welcome to The Globe’s new series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens. To share your thoughts, fill out this form or e-mail reporter Daniel Reale-Chin at: realechin@gmail.com

Patricia Burton has been participating in dragon-boat racing for 15 years, a sport that has pushed her to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Now, she’s even more diligent as she prepares to try out for the national team.

Part of the process requires benchmark testing, where she will...
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How a woman living with type 1 diabetes shops to stay healthy and satisfy her sweet tooth

Welcome to The Globe’s new series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens. To share your thoughts, fill out this form or e-mail reporter Daniel Reale-Chin at: realechin@gmail.com

The diabetes landscape has changed dramatically for Jennifer Buccino since she was diagnosed in the late 1980s. The 50-year-old has Type 1 diabetes and now wears an insulin pump, but says the standard treatment she received after her diagnosis involved a combination of different...
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How a recovering cancer patient shops for antioxidant-rich grocery items

Welcome to The Globe’s new series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens. To share your thoughts, fill out this form or e-mail reporter Daniel Reale-Chin at: realechin@gmail.com

Prior to her cancer diagnosis in 2019, Catherine Penny describes her diet as colourful, diverse and well-balanced. The 71-year-old says she ate salads daily, consumed a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, and got her protein from high-quality fish and meats.

But when she star...
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I meal plan to save money. Here’s how I spend $8 a day on groceries

Since they got married three years ago, Chrisanna Yan and her husband, Frank-Anthony, have made a sport out of grocery shopping.

In a spreadsheet on Yan’s computer, the couple track what they need to buy and plan their meals on a daily basis.

“When I was single, my food diary was a way to track what I ate, but since we got married, we’ve been using it to track our spending on groceries, and save a couple of bucks on our shopping,” said Yan, who says that the couple’s daily average is about $7...
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What we eat affects our brain. As a neuroscientist, here’s how I shop for whole foods, healthy fats and high protein

Welcome to The Globe’s new series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens. To share your thoughts, fill out this form or e-mail reporter Daniel Reale-Chin at: realechin@gmail.com

Amy Reichelt is an expert on nutritional neuroscience, a field that combines psychology, neuroscience and nutrition to understand how what we eat affects our behaviour and our brain.

The 41-year-old doctor runs a nutrition, health and lifestyle consulting service she founded in...
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I’m a vegetarian on a tight budget. Here’s how I make meals for one on $50 a week

Welcome to The Globe’s new series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens. To share your thoughts, fill out this form or e-mail reporter Daniel Reale-Chin at: realechin@gmail.com

Welcome to The Globe’s new series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens.

While food prices have risen across British Columbia since last year, near Beth Jay’s home in Halfmoon Bay, they are especially high.

The single and recently retir...
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I’m a pastry chef who makes high-protein baked goods. This is how I shop for groceries

Ali Deris began making his own protein bars during the COVID-19 lockdowns, looking for healthier alternatives to the high-priced popular brands on the market, which sometimes contain artificial sweeteners.

The 24-year-old experimented with ingredients such as protein powder, psyllium husk powder, Greek yogurt and mashed fruit and pumpkin, leading to his first few recipes, which leave behind artificial sweeteners in favour of those derived from natural sources such as monk fruit. Now, a few year...
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With my doctor’s help, I’m on my way to losing 150 lbs. This is how I grocery shop now

Welcome to The Globe’s new series, What’s In My Cart?, where we’re asking Canadians how they stock their kitchens.

Elisabeth Van Dusen says she’s lost 47 pounds since she began her weight-loss journey in November last year. Around nine months into her diet, she’s lost about one-third of her overall goal of 150 pounds, which she plans to lose over two years. The 64-year-old acknowledges that her goal is epic, and says that cutting out carbohydrate sources from her diet – including natural ones,...
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