Nutrition Night: Grocery Tour and DIY Pizza

March was Nutrition Month at UBC, and with finals around the corner, the events, resources, and support couldn’t have come at a better time. I attended Nutrition Night which included a grocery tour as well as a pizza workshop, to see if I could get any helpful eating tips to incorporate into my busy schedule.


Save-on-Foods Grocery Tour

The first portion of the event was one of the free monthly grocery tours at the Wesbrook Village Save-On-Foods hosted by UBC Food Services and guided by students in the Nutrition program. Not only do you learn about ways to eat healthier and where you can save money but you also get 10% off groceries at the end of the tour.

I was surprised to see a mix of students as well as staff, some looking for helpful tips and others looking to learn about foods that were new to them. As a busy student, my biggest takeaways include the fact that frozen vegetables are equal and sometimes better to their fresh counterparts as well the market confusion that sometimes exists when consumers make purchases based off packaging. Be sure to carefully read labels and nutrition facts!

UBC Farm Community Kitchen: DIY Pizza

After the tour, we made the quick trip to the UBC Farm Community Kitchen where we made pizza – with vegan and vegetarian options – with a variety of UBC community members. It certainly holds true that nothing brings people together like a meal as the aim for these monthly gatherings is to bring the community together and generate enthusiasm around food. The kitchen was very accommodating of dietary restrictions, which was greatly appreciated and it was a great opportunity to get hands-on with making pizza. While the pizzas were in the oven, we made our own dough from scratch to take home with us.

The night was a valuable experience. Immediately after the event, I went grocery shopping and found myself making a more conscious effort by reading labels and selecting healthier alternatives. Moreover the dough we were given was put to good use in a pizza meal prep for the upcoming week. After seeing my Instagram stories, I know my friends will be signing up for the next event.


If you’re feeling a little hungry after reading this, you don’t have to wait until next year to get a taste; check out UBC Food Services for more resources, from how to eat healthy on a budget to convenient recipes.

To stay up-to-date and find more cool events like this at UBC, follow @UBCevents and check UBCevents for new events everyday.

Photography and words by Alicia Lau