HOW DO YOU MANAGE?

Eat well for a healthy life

March is national nutrition month and the dietitians of Canada are promoting health through the food we eat. It is appropriate to dedicate this column to learning about eating well, as many of our questions and concerns from readers are in the area of food and nutrition.

There are endless myths out there when it comes to eating.

Myth: Snacking between meals is not healthy.

Response: Not true. Several small meals throughout the day will actually boost your metabolic rate and give you more energy. What you choose to snack on is important, as well as the variety and moderation. Some great choices are fruits and vegetables, yogurt, air-popped popcorn or low-fat muffins. To help teach children about healthy eating, plan snack breaks so they learn that snacking does not mean continual eating.

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Myth: Nutritious food is more expensive.

Response: Nutritious food is some of the most economical. For example, breads, cereals, pasta, rice, baked beans, fruits and vegetables in season are all low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates and fibre, making them good nutritional buys.

Myth: Low-fat eating does not taste good.

Response: To prove that this is not true, dietitians and chefs from across the country have put together a Healthy Pleasures Great Tastes Cookbook. This cookbook, published by Macmillan Canada, emphasizes great taste while highlighting grains, vegetables and fruits, leaner meats and lower-fat milk products. Pick up a copy in your bookstore for $22.95, plus GST, or contact the Dietitians of Canada, 416-596-0857.

Here is a sample of one of the many tasty recipes in the book.

Fruit muffins

These muffins are chock-full of fruit and are best eaten warm from the oven. The fruit makes these muffins moist so you won’t need to add butter.

21Ú2 cups all-purpose 625 mL

flour

11Ú2 cups quick- 375 mL

cooking rolled oats

1 cup wheat germ 250 mL

3Ú4 cup granulated 175 mL

sugar

2 tablespoons 25 mL

baking powder

1Ú2 teaspoon salt 2 mL

1 cup raisins 250 mL

1 medium, unpeeled, 1

washed apple, chopped

1Ú3 cup sunflower 75 mL

seeds

2 eggs 2

1 cup mashed 250 mL

ripe bananas

3Ú4 cup skim milk 175 mL

2 tablespoons 25 mL

grated orange rind

1Ú2 cup orange juice 125 mL

1Ú3 cup vegetable oil 75 mL

In large bowl, combine flour, oats, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in raisins, apple and sunflower seeds.

In another bowl, whisk eggs lightly. Blend in bananas, milk, orange rind and juice and oil. Pour into dry ingredients, stirring until moistened.

Spoon about 1Ú3 cup (75 mL) batter into each greased or lined muffin cup. Bake at 400 F (200 C) for about 20 minutes or until firm to the touch. Cool in pans five minutes. Remove from tins and cool on rack. Store in airtight container or freezer. Makes 20 large muffins.

Per muffin: 230 calories, six grams protein, seven g fat, 39 g carbohydrate, three g fibre.

Evening munchies

What can we do to minimize the after-dinner munchies?

Hunger between dinner and bedtime is often related to not eating regularly throughout the day. To keep blood sugar levels stable during the day, never allow more than four hours to pass without eating a meal or a snack. Stay hydrated by drinking water at all meals and snacks.

If you still have the munchies, follow this plan.

Why are you hungry? Are you hungry for food? Maybe the issue is boredom or stress-related and a hug or a heart-to-heart talk with someone would be more filling.
If truly hungry, what are you hungry for? If you want something crunchy, try an apple. If you crave salty food, fruit will not satisfy you.
Try drinking water with a snack. Sometimes the munchies are just the thirsties.
Do not feel guilty for eating what you want. Remember, moderation is the key.

Suggested cookbooks for healthy eating include:

Anne Lindsay’s Light Kitchen (1994) or Lighthearted Everyday Cooking (1991) by Anne Lindsay, Macmillan Canada, Toronto.
Cooking Vegetarian (1996) by Vesanto Melina and Joseph Forest, Macmillan Canada.

The Enlightened Eater 4th ed. (1994) by Rosie Schwartz, Macmillan Canada.
Healthy Home Cooking (1993) by Margaret Howard and E. Topp, Macmillan Canada.
Healthy Pleasures (1995) by The Dietitians of Canada, Macmillan Canada.
More Choice Menus (1995) by Marjorie Hollands and Margaret Howard, Macmillan Canada.
Simply Heart Smart Cooking (1994) by Bonnie Stern or More Heart Smart Cooking (1997), Random House of Canada, Toronto.
The Vitality Cookbook (1995) or More Vitality Cooking (1997) by Monda Rosenberg and Frances Berkoff, Harper Collins, Toronto.
Rose Reisman Brings Home Light Cooking (1993) or Rose Reisman’s Enlightened Home Cooking (1996) by Rose Reisman, Macmillan Canada.
Suppertime Survival (1996) by Lynn Roblin and Bev Callaghan, Macmillan Canada.
When in Doubt Eat Broccoli! (1998) by Liz Pearson, Penguin Books of Canada, Toronto.

Test your nutrition knowledge

1. Which of the following foods are a source of calcium?

a. cheese pizza (one slice)

b. milkshake (one cup)

c. ice cream (1Ú2 cup, 10% B.F.)

d. all of the above

2. You need two to three servings of meat and alternatives each day. One serving of meat is about the same size as:

a. a match box

b. a deck of cards

c. a thin paperback book

d. none of the above

3. You need five to 10 servings of vegetables and fruit each day. Which of the following represents one serving?

a. a medium-sized apple

b. one cup of raw leafy vegetables

c. 1Ú2 cup (125 mL) of juice

d. all of the above

4. To maintain a healthy body weight, you should:

a. eliminate the fat from your diet

b. eat well, be active and feel good about yourself

c. use calorie-reduced or “lite” food products

Answers:

1. D – all of the above. While pizza, milkshakes and ice cream are enjoyable foods, and do provide calcium, try to balance these foods with lower-fat milk products that have less fat and calories, but the same amount of calcium.

One pizza slice = 144 mg of calcium, five g of fat.

One cup milkshake = 300 mg of calcium, six g of fat.

Half a cup ice cream = 92 mg of calcium, eight g of fat.

2. B – a deck of cards. The food guide recommends two to three servings per day from the meat and meat alternatives food group. One serving is 50-100 grams of cooked meat, poultry or fish. The meat alternatives section includes items such as eggs, peanut butter and beans.

The following represents one serving: one to two eggs, two tablespoons (30 mL) peanut butter and 1Ú2 to one cup (125-250 mL) of beans. The key nutrients in this group are protein, iron and B vitamins.

3. D – all of the above. Vegetables and fruits are low in fat and packed with nutrients. To get the recommended five to 10 servings, try to have two or more servings of fruits and vegetables at each meal and the rest for snacks. Remember to choose dark green and orange vegetables, as well as orange fruit, more often because these foods contain key nutrients such as beta carotene and vitamin C.

4. B – Eating well helps to get the very best out of life. Healthy bodies come in a variety of shapes and sizes and a healthy weight does not necessarily mean a low weight. Do not focus on dieting. Rather, focus on eating well, being active and feeling good about yourself.