HEALTHY EATING HEALTHY YOU

Week Four: January 25, 2010

Challenge: The Red Zone

Most often we affiliate the “red zone” with the “danger zone”.  Though this is true in most circumstances, we’re going to view it differently this week.   We are encouraged to eat an assortment of coloured fruits and vegetables in our diet, complex carbohydrates and lean protein sources, including those that are red!  The antioxidants help to protect our bodies from free radical damage and/or help to build cell membranes, overall providing us with many nutrients we need for optimal function and protection against disease.

This week, put a little extra “red” into each one of your meals and brighten up your plate!

 MONDAY:

• Breakfast:  Add sliced strawberries [Vitamin C] on top of your toast with peanut butter
• Lunch:  Punch up the flavour of your salad with bite-sized cherry or grape tomatoes[lycopene]
• Dinner:  Enjoy 1 C of beets [folic acid and fibre] with a lean protein source and a side salad

 TUESDAY:

• Breakfast: Make your own breakfast burrito and top it off with a tablespoon of mild or spicy salsa[beta-carotene]
• Lunch:  Add a handful of pomegranate seeds [antioxidants] to your salad
• Dinner:  Pair a fresh piece of salmon with a red cabbage [calcium] coleslaw

 WEDNESDAY:

• Breakfast:  Breakfast-on-the-go?  Make your own trail mix with dried or fresh cranberries [soluble and insoluble fibre] and almonds
• Lunch: Slice a Red Delicious or Gala Apple [Vitamin C and fibre] in between a grilled turkey and cheese sandwich (nitrate-free turkey breast and light cheddar cheese please) for a great mid-day kick
• Dinner:  Enjoy a fresh piece of red snapper [omega-3 fatty acids] with an array of roasted vegetables in the oven, including red peppers[flavonoids and Vitamin C]

 THURSDAY:

• Breakfast:  Enjoy a small amount of granola and yogurt with fresh raspberries [low calorie and nutrient-dense]
• Lunch: Slice a few radishes [Vitamin C] on top of a mixed green salad
• Dinner:  Enjoy a small portion of baby red potatoes [potassium] with your protein and vegetable of choice

 FRIDAY:

• Breakfast: Reach for a red grapefruit [phytochemicals] to start your day!                                                                         
• Lunch:  Try radicchio [Vitamin A] as your salad base, topped off with nuts, tuna, a small amount of cheese and your favourite light, low-sodium dressing
• Dinner:  Mix your favourite vegetables in a light tomato sauce [Vitamin K] and enjoy over roasted chicken in the oven

SATURDAY:

• Breakfast: Slice up a fresh red plum [B-vitamins] on top of your oatmeal and cinnamon
• Lunch:  Enjoy a hot bowl of low-sodium tomato soup [low calorie] today
• Dinner:  Have fun with the family tonight with chicken or beef fajitas, including red onion [Vitamin B6 and C], Chinese eggplant and red pepper

SUNDAY:

• Breakfast: Brunch with the family? Enjoy a fresh fruit salad with cherries [Vitamin A], watermelon [lycopene] and red grapes[flavonoids]
• Lunch: Add a little kick to your favourite pasta dish with red pepper flakes [capsaicin]
• Dinner: Throw a can of red kidney beans [cholesterol-lowering fibre] into your favourite hearty vegetable stew to up the flavour (* thoroughly rinse the beans before using)

Week Two: January 11, 2010

Challenge: Think Green in Your Food Choices

This week, we’ll take a look at your diet.  One thing to keep in mind during your second week into the New Year is to maintain the challenge from week one.  As you begin to make healthy changes to your diet, it is important to still make the time, 30 minutes a day, or every other day, to get your heart rate up and your feet moving!

We are constantly begin told to “think green” when it comes to conserving energy.  In a similar regard, when we “think green” with respect to vegetables and fruits, these particular food items bring “energy” into our bodies when ingested.

Challenge yourself to incorporate more green vegetables and fruits on a weekly basis, starting right here, each day, for the next 7 days:

            MONDAY: SPINACH

When you choose the base of your salad, always keep in mind, ‘the greener the better’!  Yes, romaine provides more nutrients compared with looseleaf, followed by butterhead and iceberg lettuces, but think GREENER! Choosing spinach as your salad base will bring to your diet twice as much fibre than most other greens, amongst many other nutrient highlights!  High in antioxidants (lutein, carotenes, falvonoids), other fundamental nutrients spinach contains include folate, Vitamin K, C iron and magnesium, just to name a few!  If raw in a salad is not how you would like to enjoy this vegetable, add a portion to your favourite pasta dish, stir fry, or as a side dish, blanched with a small amount of oil, garlic, onion and mushrooms! 

            TUESDAY: BROCCOLI

Low in calories, broccoli is one of the most nutrient-dense foods for an individual serving.  Not only does it provide your body with Vitamins C, A and K, folic acid and fibre, it also acts as a source of protein without a large amount of calories consumed!  Whether you decide to enjoy your broccoli raw with a small amount of hummus, lightly blanched or sautéed with a sprinkle of lemon juice, or chopped up in an omelette or your favourite tomato sauce, bring energy to your day with a 100-gram serving of broccoli today! 

            WEDNESDAY: GREEN TEA

The higher amount of polyphenols found in green tea make it a better choice over black tea or coffee.  Give yourself a morning or mid-day boost with a cup of green tea today!  Many varieties exist amongst the green tea family, so try out a few different flavours until you find the one you can incorporate on a daily basis, to bring energy and a fresh mindset to your day! 

            THURSDAY: BARTLETT PEAR

Sweeten your day with a medium-sized Bartlett pear, which will not only provide your body with a good source or fibre, vitamins C, B2 and E and potassium, but also give you that sweet tooth satiety bite.  The fibre content in pears is actually higher than that in apples, which in turn, helps in lowering cholesterol levels and keeps your bowels moving! 

            FRIDAY: CABBAGE: Green or Bok Choy          

Make a cabbage salad to go alongside a fresh piece of salmon, or pair your main dish with Bok Choy, also known as Chinese cabbage.  Green cabbage ranges in colour from pale to dark green.  A serving provides your body with few calories, but many nutrients such as vitamins C and B6, potassium, folic acid, calcium and magnesium to name a few, and most importantly, glucosinates, an anticancer phytochemical compound.  The nutrient profile of bok choy includes vitamins A, C and K, folate as well as vitamin D which helps in the absorption of calcium-containing foods as well. 

            SATURDAY: AVOCADO

On another side of the fruit scale are avocados, requiring a little more attention when including a portion of this food in your diet.  There is a higher fat content associated with avocados, HOWEVER, this is the monounsaturated fat, or the “healthy fat” which many studies have shown to help lower cholesterol levels.  PORTION is key when enjoying avocado in your sandwich, on top of your salad, or as guacamole, keeping in mind that 1/6^th of an avocado is considered a portion of this fruit.

            SUNDAY: KALE, RAPINI or SWISS CHARD      

Plan on making a hearty pot of your favourite minestrone soup on Sunday, adding in a head of kale, rapini or swiss chard.  These bright green leafy vegetables will add a punch of colour to your dish, warming you up on the inside with all of their beneficial properties! Calcium, iron, fibre, vitamin C and the B-vitamins are just some of the nutritional benefits highlighted amongst these vegetables, and incorporating them in your Sunday meal guarantees to leave you satisfied and ready to take on the following week!