Challenge:  ‘Back to Class’

Well, it’s that infamous time of year again!  Back to class, back to regular routine and back to preparing and making nutrient-packed lunches to keep us all going throughout the day.  We’ve been preparing lunches all throughout the summer, but sometimes we can get a little stuck on keeping a variety of meal ideas so that we don’t get too bored too quick.  Our mid-day meal re-energizes, re-fuels and re-sets the wonderful machine that we all are, and it’s important to remember this when choosing different foods to pack with us each day. 

Fresh fruit and vegetables are still in abundance from gardens to farmers markets, grocery stores, and stocked in our freezers.  Fresh tomatoes, peppers, zucchinis and carrots may be pickled and preserved, while fresh fruits can be turned into your favourite muffins or sauces (ie. pear sauce) and shared amongst friends and family.

For everyone, we should aim to include the following in our “away-from-home” meals and snacks:

-       Lunch should include a variety of foods from at least 3 of the 4 food groups (Vegetables and Fruit, Grain Products, Milk and Alternatives, Meat and Alternatives)

-       Include a fibre source at snacks (ie. fresh fruit or vegetables, whole grains)

-       Limit fat, sugar and salt items

-       Satisfy your afternoon sweet tooth the right way: fresh fruit cup with yogurt and granola, homemade oatmeal cookies

-       Limit your salt intake and avoid adding extra salt to meals and snacks

For children and adolescents, 80% eat their lunches at school, so it is very important for their lunches to be healthy to help them learn, and develop.  Have your child help with lunch preparation, from grocery shopping, to packing last night’s left-overs and choosing their favourite vegetables and fruit.  Most importantly, be a role model! Make your own lunch while preparing theirs as well.  Be environmentally friendly.  Read food labels together to help them understand why one choice is better over another.  Kids are like sponges.  They absorb so many bits of information, and even more when they are actively practicing certain behaviours and skills.

When everyone is involved in healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle you support one another, so that the choices you make become a standard in your every day routines!

Challenge:  Summer time Fun!

With the summer-time months and weather in full swing, how do you make sure you enjoy the events, weather and those extra “treats” that seem to be in front of our faces a little more during this time? 

First and foremost when we hit the warmer weather is hydration!  We need to keep hydrated, whether we’re hitting the gym every day, or just hanging out outside.  Having trouble getting your water in? Have a glass right when you wake up, and keep a bottle with you, making sure you drink it before it gets warm.  Aim for about 1.5 to 2 litres a day (more if you’re working out), and give yourself a time limit: “making sure you drink a litre by lunch time”.

Stay Active!  Start your day with a trip to the gym.  The sun is up and about a little earlier these days, so let it help you wake up to get in a good cardio, strength or flexibility training session.  We do tend to take advantage of the warmer weather and fit in a good walk in the evening, but make sure you’re still spending at least 20-30 minutes a day getting your heart rate up, and most importantly, stretching!  Stay active with the kids, neighbours, friends or family by planning day trips, outdoor sports teams, weekend hiking trips, or something new that may just spark a new interest for the future.  And again, while carrying out your activity, always have a bottle of water on hand!

Enjoy!  It seems a little harder to stick to our “healthy” dieting regimes through the summer months.  We tend to snack on more fruit as well, which, although fruit provides a number of essential vitamins and minerals, they do contain more sugar than fresh vegetables, so just make sure you’re still balancing out all four food groups.  When it comes to those higher calorie, higher sugar and higher fat snacks, just be mindful.  Make sure you don’t restrict yourself too much, and enjoy a small ice cream once in a while. 

Everything in moderation: enough water, a little activity, and lots of vegetables on a daily basis will keep you satisfied and not feeling guilty when you want to indulge in that extra little treat!

Challenge:  Don’t be “late”! Get in your Folate

Folic Acid.  Folate.  What exactly is it?  Where do we find it? And who is more in need of it?  Folic Acid is a water-soluble vitamin, needed in our diets, working in conjunction with vitamin B12 to carry out a number of body processes, mainly DNA synthesis.  In other words, without adequate levels of folic acid, our cells would be unable to divide and replicate properly.  The vitamin is needed in this case for certain cells which divide rapidly: red blood cells, cells of the gastrointestinal tract and genital tracts.

Adequate levels of folic acid is especially important for women before, during the early stages (first 4 weeks) and throughout pregnancy, to help in strengthening her own cells as well as to prevent neural tube defects.  In other words, the vitamin helps to develop the unborn baby’s brain, spine and skull, and if appropriate levels aren’t ingested, the neural tube will not form and close as it should to help the unborn baby further grow and develop.

Dietary Reference Intakes for Folic Acid, as set by Health Canada are:

• Males and Females, 9-13 years = 250 μg/day
• Males and females, 14-18 years = 330 μg/day
• Males and Females 19-70 years = 320 μg/day
• Pregnancy (women):
  • ≥ 18 years = 520 μg/day
• Lactation (women):
  • ≥ 18 years = 450 μg/day 

So, choose the below food sources more often, while attaining adequate levels of folate:

-       Wheat bran

-       Legumes: Black-eyed Peas, Soy Beans, Kidney beans, Lima beans, Navy beans, Chick Peas, Lentils

-       Asparagus

-       Walnuts

-       Fresh spinach

-       Kale

-       Peanuts (and peanut butter)

-       Broccoli

-       Barley

-       Split peas

-       Whole wheat cereal

-       Brussel sprouts

-       Almonds

-       Oatmeal

-       Cabbage

-       Avocado

-       Corn

-       Green beans

-       Mushrooms

-       Berries

Challenge:  Where Have You “Bean”?

Here’s something to take you along the next week and into your weekend.  A few beans!  Chick peas and kidney beans are usually used most often in food preparation, but there are so many different varieties all offering so many health benefits.  Right on top of the list of health benefits are the high source of fibre found in all beans.  We know that fibre not only helps to keep our bowels regular, but also lower cholesterol levels, maintain blood sugar levels, and promote heart health.

So, including beans in your diet at least twice throughout the week will keep your insides functioning, as well as satisfy you during meal times.  I encourage you to try different beans, in chilis, omelettes, salads, stews, or simply as a side dish.  You can either purchase beans in a can, or boil them from their raw, dry original form.  If you are opting for the canned version, I encourage you to drain and rinse the beans thoroughly so that you wash away the majority of the salt added into the cans that are needed in order to preserve the beans.

String beans and Lima beans are sold raw, and can be eaten this way, or lightly steamed.  Dress these up with a little balsamic vinegar, parsley and lemon, and you’ve made yourself a light tasty bean salad.   Dress up your salad with kidney beans, black eyed peas or pinto beans.  If using a can, and making for an individual serving, use ½ C of the bean of choice, and use the remaining in a Quinoa Salad or chilli on another day.  Roast chick peas with your favourite spicy or savoury spices and enjoy as a mid-day snack!

Use the attached recipe this week to trick anyone into enjoying some black beans!! I guarantee you will love these gluten-free Black Bean Brownies (adapted from the “Clean Eating Magazine”), and will astonish everyone when you tell them the base of the recipe is black beans!

Black Bean Brownies

Ingredients:

• 2 oz                    dark chocolate
• 1, 19-oz can    black beans, rinsed and drained
•  2                         eggs
•  1                         egg white
•  2 Tbsp             extra virgin olive oil
• ½  C                   cocoa powder
• 1 tsp                   baking powder
• 1 tsp                   vanilla extract
• ¼ C                    apple sauce
• ½ C                    honey
• ½ C                    unsalted pecans, chopped
• Icing sugar

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.  Mist 1 8-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Melt dark chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat with 1 tbsp water mixed in.
3. Combine the melted chocolate, beans, eggs, egg white, oil, cocoa powder, baking powder, vanilla, applesauce and honey in a food processor;  process until smooth.  Stir in the walnuts and pour the mixture into the prepared dish.
4. Bake in a preheated oven until the tops are dry and the edges start to pull away from the sides, about 25 to 30 minutes.  Cut into 16 squares and garnish each piece with a dusting of icing sugar.

Challenge:  It’s ‘D’ Time!

Well, the sun seems to be shining a bit more these days, which brightens everyone’s mood as they carry on with their daily routines.  It’s amazing how much better one can feel by catching a few of the sun’s rays in their day.  We hear a lot about Vitamin D during the cooler, darker winter months, and how important it is to reach adequate levels of the vitamin.  But why?  Vitamin D stimulates the absorption of calcium, explaining why we often find milk products fortified with the vitamin.

When the body doesn’t have enough Vitamin D, it compensates by leaching calcium from our bones.  Calcium is also a precursor for the active form of Vitamin D our bodies need, when sunlight isn’t available, which is why we need to ensure we are reaching the right levels of Vitamin D.  If we don’t, our bones will become weaker as more and more calcium is taken from them, leading to issues such as rickets, in children, and osteomalacia and/or osteoporosis in adults (through long periods of inadequate D absorption).

Exposure to the sun’s rays allows our bodies to make Vitamin D, BUT, taking a small dose of Vitamin D (measured in International Units) is still ok to do during the summer months, and definately in the winter months.

So, keeping with our challenges of nutrition and fitness health, this week, I encourage you to get out and about for at least 30 minutes a day.  Go for a walk, run or rollerblade.  Take the kids and neighbours to the park and have some fun playing with a soccer ball, Frisbee, baseball or football.  Take advantage of the weather……not only for the good of your nutrition health, but for that of your physical health too!

Include food sources that provide your body with Vitamin D as well:

• Cod liver oil
• Cold water fish – mackerel, salmon, herring
• Eggs (mainly the yolk) – be mindful if high cholesterol issues exist
• Plant sources are generally lower in Vitamin D, but the best sources include dark leafy greens

Week Eighteen: May 10, 2010

Challenge:  The Right Kind of Fat!

There are 3 macronutrients we need to include in our diet providing the calories we need to function on a daily basis, as well as essential nutrients to keep our bodies healthy and organs running at their optimal levels: Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat.  We know that we should be including more complex carbohydrates from whole grains, fruits and vegetables, protein from lean meat sources, lower fat dairy products, legumes and tofu, and fat from…….where?  Fat is an important macronutrient we need in our daily diets, aiming to consume 20-35% of our daily caloric intake from this particular macronutrient.  The take home message ALWAYS when it relates to fat is consuming the right types of fat in the correct portion.

It is mandatory for food labels to include the amount of total fat found in a particular portion of a product, as well as the saturated and trans fat content of that product.  Most often, when a certain product offers a number of healthy benefits, you may also see the polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat content of the product listed.  So, what should we be looking for, and what should we be staying away from?

The types of fat we include in our diet determine how well our blood flows through the vessels.  Our body’s membranes are made mostly of fat —-cholesterol, trigylcerides, phospholipids.  Though our body is capable of making these fats (and needs to for some processes to occur), the type of fat YOU EAT mainly determines the type of fat that makes up your membranes, and thus, how well your blood flows.  For example, if we eat a diet high in saturated and trans fats (BAD FATS), plaque builds up along our artery walls, increasing bad cholesterol and triglyceride levels, ultimately making it very difficult for our blood to flow through normally.  On the other side, if our primary fat intake throughout the day comes from poly- and monounsaturated sources, these healthy fats help to decrease bad cholesterol levels, preventing plaque from building up against the artery walls, and therefore, allowing our blood to flow normally to all organs of the body so that they all function properly. 

So, this week’s challenge is two-fold: 

1. Look at the ingredient lists of the food items you choose to include in your diet this week, making sure that the combined saturated and trans fat content does not exceed more than 10% (**review “What’s in a Label” located under the Nutrition tab), or better yet, none to minimal levels of these fat sources
2. Include sources of healthy omega-3 fats in your diet, being mindful of the portion:

• 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ¼ C unsalted nuts and seeds – almonds, walnuts, pecans, cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds
• ¼ of an avocado – slice it in a sandwich, top off a salad, mix with an egg for a spin on the classic “egg salad sandwich”
• 4-5 oz of cold water fish – salmon, mackerel, halibut
• 1 tbsp ground flaxseed – on toast with peanut butter, in yogurt, in your favourite tomato sauce
• Cook with canola oil more often
• Switch to margarine including EPA and DHA

Fat provides more calories in our diet (9 calories/gram of fat), so though we need to include the proper poly- and monounsaturated food sources, we must be even more mindful of the individual portion sizes, just like in everything we eat!

Challenge:  April Showers Bring May Flowers!

A new month! A new challenge! And a new food for thought!  There may be a bit of excitement as we begin to notice the different colours taking over the flower beds in our front or back yard, by entry-ways or even sporadically along the roads!  But what about the different edible “flowers” we are encouraged to consume, that bring a variety of nutrients to our bodies?  In particular, the Brassica family of vegetables, including broccoli, cauliflower, arugula, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, mustard and kale.  It is encouraged that we consume these types of “flowers” in our daily diets, as a source Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, folic acid, fibre, iron and calcium, just to name a few.  Just how flowers bring a colourful arrangement to any picture, “flower” vegetables do the same to our meal-time plates!  You can even find purple, orange or yellow cauliflower these days, or red and purple kale!  So, when preparing your meals, I encourage you to base your meal around a vegetable.  Choose a new vegetable! Look on the web to see the endless possibilities available to you on how to dress a vegetable in a new way, or season it with a drop of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and your favourite fresh herbs!

Make a hearty arugula salad with sliced strawberries, goat cheese, almonds and grilled chicken! Try steamed broccoli with shredded light cheddar cheese alongside a piece of salmon and rice, or raw broccoli dipped in hummus as a snack!  Pasta dish?  Cook half the amount of pasta and add in kale to heighten the nutrient profile of your dish, as well as some peas and corn to bring a bit of sweetness to the dish!  Steer away from your traditional lettuce salad and try a cabbage salad topped with light feta cheese and pecans and dressed with a mix of apple cider vinegar, oil, honey, garlic and onion!

Seven days of the week! And seven days until you receive your next challenge! So keep your meals interesting this week, choosing a different “flower” to colour your plate, and different variations to enjoy your dish or meal!  Your palate may take on the new flavours in a way you never knew you would, bringing you back for more in the days to come!

Challenge:  This Grain, That Grain

We are constantly encouraged to include more whole grains and complex carbohydrates in our diets, and steer clear of the refined white processed flours that stock so many of our grocery store shelves.  The grain that is used to make the most nutritious bread naturally grows as a “whole grain kernel”.  This kernel includes three parts: the bran, which is the outermost layer of the kernel and contains most of the fibre, the germ, which is where the kernel sprouts from and includes a source of oil and Vitamin E, and the endosperm, which is primarily starch, but also contains a protein source, vitamins and minerals.  Many times product manufacturers will list “enriched whole wheat”, or “whole wheat flour” which doesn’t necessarily always include all three parts of the grain.  Therefore, when choosing breads, look at the ingredient list, and look for words including “whole grain flour” or “whole wheat including the bran and germ”.  You can also look at the nutrition facts panel, and choose breads that contain at least 2-3 g of fibre per slice.  Fibre helps to maintain the functioning of most of our body’s organs, helps us to feel fuller longer, and improves our overall digestive health, including the regulation of our bowels.  We, as adults, should aim to incorporate 25-30 g of fibre daily!!

This week I want you to consciously think about all of the whole grain products you eat daily.  Eating Well with Canada’s Food Guide recommends that adults between the ages of 19 and 50, consume 6-8 grain products a day.  NOW, one whole bagel does NOT equal ONE serving of a grain.  In actuality, one bagel (of a NORMAL size) makes up 2 grain servings. 

Additionally, wherever you can, make the switch to whole wheat or whole grain products.  If you buy white bread regularly, I challenge you to pick up a whole wheat loaf to try this week.  If you mainly have white rice, white pasta, or baked potatoes often, choose brown or basmati rice, whole wheat or whole grain pasta, and Yukon Gold, New or Sweet potatoes instead.  The high sugar and fat content of highly processed grain products give us a quick peak of energy once we ingest them, and are then quickly digested and move into our body’s stores, making us feel hungry quicker (lack of fibre that is also in the products).

Write down each day the number of whole grains you eat, keeping the following in mind:

• 1 slice of bread (35 g in weight) = 1 serving
• ½ bagel (45 g in weight) = 1 serving
• ½ C cooked rice, quinoa or bulgur = 1 serving
• ¾ C hot cereal (oatmeal) = 1 serving
• ⅓ C (about 30 g) cold cereal = 1 serving
• ½ C cooked pasta or couscous = 1 serving
• ½ pita or ½ tortilla (35 g) = 1 serving
• ½ English muffin (35 g) = 1 serving
• 1 small pancake (35 g) = 1 serving
• 2 medium rice cakes = 1 serving
• 30 g crackers = 1 serving

Take a look at the Nutrition Facts panel to identify HOW MUCH of one product the facts correspond to (size and weight)!

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php

Challenge: Train Like the Pros!

How does an athlete become a pro? Have you ever completed a workout and thought to yourself, “Wow! I can’t believe what I just accomplished!”  Each day is different, and the energy we have to complete a workout one day may not compare to the energy we have on the next, or one thereafter.  I think, however, that I can speak for many people, when I acknowledge that empowering feeling we get at the end of a workout, when we may even ask ourselves, “Who was that?” and “Where was that energy and drive hiding? 

The athletes who entertain us on the ice rink, football or soccer field, baseball diamond, running tracks or even in swimming pools are put through vigorous workout routines to ensure their skills, abilities and fitness are at par or above those of their competitors.  But who’s to say that we can’t focus on bringing out the athlete in us each time we hit the treadmill, fitness class or simply a few outdoor props!

Maybe this is the week you grab a buddy and bring them along to your workout routine, and push each other harder to work above and beyond your fitness abilities, encouraging each other along the way!

How do we do this? Short quick drills, quicker transition times between strength training or cardio reps and most importantly, focusing on giving your all during each drill.  If you’re looking to start somewhere, use the weather we’ve been having as your driving force to get you out and about on the streets with a good pair of runners.  Start off with a brisk walk, and when you can visualize the next street corner, push yourself to jog there.  Back down to a power walk for 1 minute, and then carry on with another 2-minute jog.  Work this interval until you make your way around a block or 2, and aim to make it the same distance holding a steady jog!

Here’s a quick 5-minute continuous circuit you could even add into your next workout routine!

• 30 second wide feet shuffle
• 20 push-ups (30 seconds)
• 20 crunches (30 seconds)
• 30 seconds shuffle moving feet out and in
• 30 seconds jumping jacks
• 20 squats (30 seconds)
• 20 lunges (30 seconds)
• 20 crunches (30 seconds)
• 30 seconds skipping
• 30 seconds shuffle moving from side to side

Choose a day or 2 right now of the next week that you will commit to incorporating one or two of the ideas mentioned above!  Most importantly, do it for YOU! Give that physical activity time for YOU during the day, not only for health and fitness, but mental clarity at work and home too!

Challenge: Cleanse Your Body!

There are certain times of the year where we may find ourselves indulging in certain food and drink products a little bit more!  Refined sugars, a few more alcoholic beverages than normal, or more caffeinated beverages and food products to kick that fatigue that may be settling among us.  It is important to understand that although it is OK to have a few extra chocolate mini eggs, or an extra drink or two while catching up with an old friend or enjoying a family meal, we need to then take the time to allow our body’s systems to balance out to ultimately function at their optimal abilities.  When exposed to certain toxins, not only from the foods we eat, but also from our environments, these toxins may build up in our body’s tissues and in our bloodstream, possibly leading to decreased energy and/or health complications.

Detoxification is defined as a “process of clearing toxins from the body by neutralizing or transforming them into harmless substances”.  There are many types of detoxification diets, and I, by no means, am asking you to restrict your diets from essential nutrients we need to function and be able to perform our daily activities with.  Instead, I would like you to take a look at your diets this week, (or maybe what we indulged in over the long Easter weekend), and make note of the number of times we make food choices including refined processed sugars (carbohydrates), alcohol, caffeine and even nicotine for that matter.  Next step – kick it!  Instead of reaching for a chocolate bar or bag of chips to curb your mid-day hunger strike, choose a fresh fruit, yogurt, whole grain wrap with peanut butter or a small handful of almonds. 

Again, it’s important to stress that I’m not asking you to jump into the latest detox diet that’s out there (as mentioned above, there are a number of dietary restrictions on those detoxes).  Most prolonged detoxification regimes can strip away the lining of essential cells and organs and decrease the amount of crucial enzymes we need in our bodies to help to digest the food we eat, ultimately putting additional stress on our bodies. (For example, it is possible for our bodies to stop producing the enzyme lactase, which digests the milk sugar lactose, if we do not feed our body sources of lactose for a long period of time.)

Finally, you can make small adjustments to your diet to help balance the levels within our body systems and further help eliminate those “substances” we don’t need to function at peak levels.  Here are some tricks to try out this week:

• Have ½ lemon squeezed into 1 C water (room temperature or boiling) at some point during your day, preferably in the morning when you wake up
• Include some form of physical activity during your week that gets your heart rate up and allows you to sweat!
• Stay hydrated by drinking PLENTY of WATER!
• Add an extra serving of fiber each day from sources such as Bran Buds, Fruit with the skin on, ground flax seed or psyllium fibre
  • Remember, with fibre, we do need water!
• Give your body good-quality sleep each night – we get the best sleep between 10 PM and 4/5 AM

Make these little adjustments, and you will feel more energized and ready to take on the next day!