Tips for Cleaning Out the Cupboard and Cleaning Up Your Diet!

Often the food items we keep in our cupboard (or pantry) prevents us from eating healthier. These foods are likely processed and devoid of nutritional value yet offer us convenience, taste and comfort. Make healthier eating easier by following these 4 strategies to clean out your cupboard and clean up your diet.

1. All food should be fair game.

·      Cupboards should be stocked with foods anyone from the family can enjoy (with the exception of toddlers who should avoid foods that are choking hazards i.e. nuts).

·      If someone in the house is “not allowed” to eat something, avoid purchasing that item. This reduces temptation to eat it and resentment towards others who can have it.  

2. Out of sight, out of mind.

·      Store treats in places you or the family is less likely to look i.e. in the basement, in a cellar, on the top shelf of a cupboard.

·      Keep healthy choices front and centre.

·      Avoid over stocking the pantry with food items that are too easy and tempting to eat.

·      Instead stock up the fridge (fruits, vegetables, natural peanut butter, yogurt, unsalted almonds or pistachios)

3. Buy what you need, not necessarily what you want.

·      Skip purchasing unhealthy choices because they are on sale or sold in multiples.

·      Plan meals for the week, before grocery shopping, and buy food accordingly.

4. Practice self-discipline.

·      If there are tempting foods that are difficult to portion control, avoid bringing these items into your home.

Holiday Eating 4 Ways to Control Your Weight

Tis the season of holiday eating ...with family, friends and co-workers

Follow these 5 steps to manage your weight this season. 

1. Keep to your regular eating routine as much as possible.
   
Start the day with a healthy breakfast. If you plan to be out for an extended period of time i.e. shopping excursion at the mall, cutting down the Christmas tree, carry a healthy snack i.e. handful of nuts and an apple, to tie you over until you get home for your next meal. You could pack a light lunch, i.e. peanut butter sandwich on whole grain bread. Stay away from the food court or stopping for fast food.

2. Make time for exercise.

Bundle up and take a brisk walk in the fresh winter air. Will do your mind and body good. 

3. Weigh yourself weekly.

4. Journal everything you eat and drink.

Keeping track of what you eat and how much you weigh will keep you mindful. If you notice weight gain, you can adjust your eating and exercise routine immediately.

For more holiday eating strategies please read my blog post dated October 27, 2011.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Will the OMA's suggested policies work to combat obesity?

The OMA released a press release today which spoke to their continued effort to prevent premature deaths associated with obesity.  It has been met with a lot of criticism. Below is a summary of the OMA's recommendations followed by my professional opinion on whether the recommendations may work.

•  Increasing taxes on junk food and decreasing tax on healthy foods;
• This may work. Many of my clients, including myself, have a cost threshold for foods they might purchase. Personally, I will rarely pay full price for a "treat" i.e. cookies or ice cream. On the same note I will not pay an excessive price for a fresh vegetable either, i.e. vegetables that may be out of season. So, if junk food is made to be more expensive and healthy food less expensive, more healthy food may just end up in the grocery cart. 
• Restricting marketing of fatty and sugary foods to children;
• I agree. With school aged children of my own, I experience first hand how impressionable children are. Just the other week, my daughter grabbed a bag of marshmallows, conveniently located on the lower shelf at the grocery store (at her eye level) and labelled in fun, bright colours, and asked whether we could purchase them. Parents have a responsibility to teach children about healthy choices, regardless of how foods are marketed.  
• Placement of graphic warning labels on pop and other high calorie foods with little to no nutritional value;
• It can't hurt. It will be a reminder to young and old alike, and help them think twice before eating or drinking a junk food, if not at the moment, in the future. 
• Retail displays of high-sugar, high-fat foods to have information prominently placed advising consumer of the health risks; and
• It's only fair. If marketers can bombard the packaging of their goods with multiple "healthful" food claims, why not have unhealthful risks advertised and accessible? 
•  Restricting the availability of sugary, low-nutritional value foods in sports and other recreational facilities that are frequented by young people.
• I agree. People will choose from the options you provide them. Offer them junk food and leave them no choice but to choose junk food. Combine healthier choices with fair prices (see first recommendation) and you may be surprised at how many young people will choose the healthier option.  

Fast food in Schools
Two students, from  St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Brampton, decided to make their opinions heard regarding the legislation in Ontario to serve "healthy" food in schools.

Here is my opinion, as an Adult, Registered Dietitian and a Mother (whose child is in the school system and occasionally purchasing 'hot lunches' from the school).

To be fair, here is an excerpt of why the Ontario Government decided to implement this initiative.

• Ontario's new nutrition standards for food and beverages sold in schools will give our students healthier places to learn and help them perform better in school.  

• Twenty-eight per cent of Ontario children between the ages of two and 17 are overweight or obese -- putting them at risk of diseases including diabetes. Less than half of Ontario kids, ages 12-19, eat the recommended daily minimum of fruits and vegetables.

My Opinion, As an Adult
I rarely, if at all, ate from the cafeteria when I was in high school. I credit my parents, who always encouraged me and yes often prepared for me, a home made lunch. I didn't have to buy food, because my parents provided it for me. And if I did eat out, it was rare, not routine and that makes all the difference when it comes to healthy eating. 

My Opinion, As a Registered Dietitian
I am not surprised to hear this negative response from high school students. This is a difficult age to introduce such legislation. In my opinion, the legislation will have growing pains. It will benefit students currently in the primary, elementary school system, as they will learn to eat these foods and find healthy foods can taste good!

STUDENTS HAVE TO BE EDUCATED! 
Orange juice can re-hydrate you just as well as Gatorade! 

My Opinion, As a Parent
My son is in JK and I allow him to participate in the Hot Lunches program at school, as I am on parent council and proceeds of the lunches go back to support school initiatives. However I limit his participation to twice per month. Parents have a responsibility to teach children that these foods are "treat" meals and should be consumed in moderation. A child eating a "healthy" version of chicken fingers or pizza will not be able to distinguish it from a "non-healthy" version from your local community food establishments. Why the options at school are considered "healthier" should be discussed in the classroom and at home.

10 Ways to Increase Your Fibre Intake

Fibre is all the craze in marketing these days, unfortunately most of the fibre in packaged foods is sourced from inulin, a fibre that may not cut the mustard in offering you the health benefits such as lowering cholesterol levels, improving blood sugar control or minimizing your risk of cancer.

Meeting the recommended 21-38g fibre daily, is no easy feat.
Here are 10 ways to increase your daily fibre intake.

1. Choose whole grain breads at meals, with at least 3g fibre per slice.
2. Use peanut butter instead of margarine or cream cheese - tasty on bread, apples, bananas, whole grain crackers.
3. Choose high fibre cereals, with at least 6g fibre per serving.
4. Eat an apple (or pear). 
5. Eat 1/4 cup raw almonds.
6. Sprinkle 1 tbsp ground flax into your oatmeal. 
7. Add 1/4 cup blueberries into your yogurt.  
8. Eat a bean salad, minestrone soup or chili (containing beans).
9. Enjoy a medium-sized baked sweet potato at dinner.
10. Serve a side of green peas (1/2 cup) next to your sweet potato.

Remember to increase your fibre intake slowly, and compliment with plenty of water (1.5-2L per day).

Five ways to convert a picky eater

I was a picky eater growing up. Enjoyed my meat and potatoes, loved pasta and bread. I limited the fruits I would eat and even more so the vegetables I would eat.  Then I grew up.

Part of my evolution in eating is because I am a dietitian and I have to eat what I preach! A lot also had to do with the positive influence of family, friends, and an openness to try new things.  When I mention tofu or fish to some of my clients, they cringe. Tofu was not in my vocabulary growing up and fish, my parents never forced me to eat. Just the smell was enough to make me sick! But in time, under my own circumstances, I have learned to incorporate these foods and many others into my own fridge and lifestyle.

Here are 5 ways to convert the picky eater in you. 

1.    Mix it up with what you love. I learned to eat vegetables through pizza, rice and minestrone. I enjoyed carbohydrates so if vegetables were diced and covered in mozzarella, tossed into a stir-fry or incorporated into a soup, I was more likely to try it…and like it.

2. Start small.  The first time I cooked fish I avoided the fresh fish department and instead purchased a simple, frozen salmon, available in 4 x100g servings. I baked one serving as suggested in the oven and thought, “It’s not so bad” once I tried it. So I tried it a few more times. I moved onto rainbow trout, and enjoyed that even more.  I went from eating no fish, to some fish.

3.     Eat in company. I will never forget as a child, and neither will my mother, when we were sitting as guests at the host’s table in Italy, and when offered an afternoon snack my mom replied on my behalf “don’t bother, she does not eat that” only to see me eat the entire serving. Sometimes the pressure of being with others encourages us to try new foods. You may find out you like it or not, either way, be open to trying new foods.

4.     Look for simple recipes.  If you are unsure how to use a new ingredient search out recipes until you find one that is simple enough for you to try, at least once.

5.     If at first you don’t succeed, try try again...and in different ways.  I prefer baked carrots to raw, unless shredded in a salad. I prefer spinach in a salad than in a soup. Try preparing foods in a variety of ways until you find a way best suited to you and your family’s tastes.  

How to Combat Obesity

I was listening to the conversation on the Arlene Bynon show entitled Fighting Obesity in Canada, while driving home from work this afternoon. The conversation started by suggesting a majority of Canadians surveyed want the Government to take more action in managing childhood obesity. There was also discussion about whether the term obesity should even be used between doctor and patient. I found the conversation interesting and compelling and if I had the phone number handy, I would have placed a call.

In this blog I’m going to share with you some of my thoughts on obesity and the Government’s role in reducing the obesity rates in Canada. I hope you will join me in the conversation.

•           I believe once someone commits to nutrition counselling for healthier eating and/or weight loss it is irrelevant whether the person is defined as overweight or obese
•      I believe there is more value in speaking about the health benefits associated with improved eating habits and weight loss
•      My (short-term) target weight loss is typically 10% of total body weight, regardless of starting weight or BMI (body mass index). This amount of weight loss would be significant in lowering risk of developing heart disease, diabetes or high blood pressure (to name a few).
•      Parents have to take responsibility for their children’s’ health and realize the eating habits and food choices parents are making for themselves and the family will directly impact the children’s eating behaviours and health outcome.
•      The Government can assist by placing pressure on the food industry to produce “healthier foods” by reducing the amount of trans fat, sodium, sugar, antibiotics and pesticides etc. that are used in growing or producing foods as well as encourage marketers to avoid targeting children for non-nutritious foods

Here is an example of a Canadian government initiative to reduce the sodium intake of Canadians.

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/nutrition/sodium/sodium-intake-apport-reduction/strateg/index-eng.php

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•      The individual Canadian must commit to reducing the amount of processed food in their diet and focus on including more home cooked meals, with fresh, locally grown and produced foods.

You can start by visiting http://www.dietitians.ca/search.aspxsearchtext=home+cooked+meals&searchmode=allwords

• An individual can get assistance in adapting healthier eating into their lifestyle by enlisting the services of a registered dietitian

Find a registered dietitian in your area by visiting http://www.dietitians.ca/Find-A-Dietitian.aspx