The Best Start Resource Centre: Ontario’s Maternal Newborn and Early Child Development Resource Centre is a key program of Health Nexus, a bilingual health promotion organization that works with diverse partners to build healthy, equitable and thriving communities. The Best Start Resource Centre supports service providers who work in preconception health, prenatal health and early child development.
The Best Start Resource Centre produces multi-media resources in multiple languages on a broad range of topics related to preconception health, prenatal health, and early child development. Most of their resources can be downloaded free of charge and many of them can be adapted for local use.
A great resource is their ‘Mocktails For Mom’. This handy brochure provides some straight up facts about alcohol use and pregnancy, tips for making healthy drinks and moctail recipes. We have order and distributed hundreds of these brochures at presentations, community events, anywhere and everywhere (no point in recreating a resource when a fabulous one exists).
Tips for making healthy drinks include:
- No alcohol
- Use no more than 4 oz. of juice per drink
- Use 100% juices, fruit nectars, fruit cocktails or fruit drinks
- Use frozen yogurt instead of ice cream
- Use 2%, 1% or skim milk instead of cream
- Use sparkling water (soda water) instead of pop
- Add pieces of fruit or vegetables to garnish
- Save drinks that are higher in fat, sugar or calories for special occasions
For more great resources visit: http://en.beststart.org/
