Illustration by Kat Frick Miller
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.
Food has always been an important part of Emma Cook-Clarke’s life. But as an ex-firefighter, runner and now ski mountaineer competing for a spot at the 2026 Winter Olympics, nutrition science plays an even larger role in how the 31-year-old nourishes herself.
“I try to stay up-to-date with research and conduct research on myself to see how my body reacts to different foods,” she says.
Part of that experimentation involves different diets and eating habits that she’s taken on throughout her life. When Cook-Clarke became a wildland firefighter stationed in Whitecourt, Alta., on the eastern foothills of the Rocky Mountains, she shifted from her strict vegetarian diet to eating plenty of meat.
“You need a lot of energy for the job, and meat and carbohydrates provide that,” she says.
Since retiring from firefighting, and pursuing a career as a full-time athlete, Cook-Clarke says she’s made some mistakes experimenting with her nutrition.
“I had a few races where I just got so tired. A huge part of my fatigue was not replenishing.”
During her ski mountaineering competitions – which involve climbing and downhill skiing in sprints or longer races – Cook-Clarke says she now consumes high-calorie foods slowly and steadily throughout the day to keep her going.
Back home in Canmore, Alta., she grocery shops for herself and keeps her diet no-frills with simple breakfasts of eggs, toast and veggies or Greek yogurt with granola and fruit. For her other meals, she cooks using spices and marinades from all around the world including India, Japan and Korea, which she uses to give her protein and vegetables flavour before pairing them with rice for carbohydrates.
How I save money on groceries: I try to buy things on sale and I make things such as bread and pizza dough from scratch. It’s cheaper and I appreciate knowing what’s going into my food.
How I splurge on groceries: I try not to make too many sacrifices when it comes to quality ingredients such as good proteins and fruit and vegetables. I love the farmers’ market in the summer, the produce is so much better. The one in Canmore happens once a week in the summer, which is great.
The hardest shopping habit to keep up: Buying good-quality items when prices are high. Living in Canmore, we don’t have the most options to shop between grocery stores.
How I’ve changed my eating habits recently: I’m a bit more aware and selective when purchasing products and seeing where they come from now. With everything that’s been going on politically, I like to shop and buy things closer to home. I check the labels to see where products come from.
Five items always in my cart:
- Coffee beans – Banff Roasting Company – $17 a pound: It’s a local roastery. The roaster is superfriendly and likes to speak to his customers. We bring our own glass jar and he fills that up for us.
- Frozen stir-fry vegetables – Kirkland – $15: This is good to keep in the freezer and add to a quick meal. It has broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, onions, snap peas and water chestnuts, and it’s easy to fry it or steam. I often toss it with some udon noodles and a protein like tofu for a quick meal.
- Bananas – 35 cents apiece: Bananas are easy to digest when I need quick energy for my workouts and training. The other benefit is that they’re easy to find in any country I travel to. I could easily find them while staying in the Italian Alps in Bormio, and they’re a little taste of comfort.
- Extra-firm organic tofu – Sunrise – $3.97: I rip my tofu into chunks, coat it in cornstarch, drizzle it with oil and air-fry it. It comes out a little crispy and chewy, and then I’ll add sauce – it takes up flavour really well.
- Maple syrup energy gel – Brix – $3 per single serving: Maple syrup is very high in carbohydrates, with a decent glucose/fructose ratio, which is typically easier on your stomach. These packs have maple syrup mixed with Himalayan salt. I keep it in my flask, diluted with a bit of water, and sip it throughout long runs for energy. They give you about 300 calories that are easy for your body to use as fuel throughout races.
