HEALTHY EATING HEALTHY YOU

Week Twenty-three: August 31, 2010

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!

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Week Twenty-one: June 21, 2010

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

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Week Twenty: June 7, 2010

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.

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Week Seventeen: May 3, 2010

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!

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Week Sixteen: April 26, 2010

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

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