The Manitoba Agri-Health Research Networks (MAHRN) says food is more than fuel, it's a part of health care solutions.

Lee Anne Murphy, executive director of MAHRN says Canadians eat a variety of foods, including plants and meat, and eating well can reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. For example, protein and fibre in Manitoba-grown pulses help manage how sugar is digested and absorbed.

"We think just through changing a little bit of eating habits by incorporating foods — not by completely changing your diet or being regimented — we could save almost 10 per cent on the healthcare numbers in Manitoba," Murphy says, "and when you look at that across Canada, it gets into the billions of dollars we could be spending in other ways. So I think agriculture's got a real opportunity be a solution for healthcare."

Murphy says another example of functional foods with health benefits is oats. She says oats grown in Manitoba have some of the highest beta-glucan levels in the world, which is linked to modulating blood glucose levels and preventing certain types of cancer.