Posts Tagged ‘Get healthy recipes’

Healthy Choices for a Healthier Heart!

Posted on: March 1st, 2013 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

February is Heart Month.

How healthy is your heart?

Would you recognize the 5 warning signs if you or a loved one was having a stroke?  Stroke can be treated. That’s why it is so important to recognize and respond to the warning signs.

Learn your risk level for a stroke by taking the Heart&Stroke Risk Assessment.

To learn more about heart-related issues, check out the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada’s website.

Also, check out revolution health‘s suggestions for making heart-healthy, low-cholesterol food choices.

It’s never too late to make healthier choices!



Healthy Eating for 2013

Posted on: January 31st, 2013 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

Have you resolved to eat more healthily this year?  If overeating during the holidays was on your agenda, one of your resolutions may be to lose some weight.  Let Canada’s Food Guide help you make healthier food choices.

If your objective is to Eat Better, Feel Better or Look Better, check out SparkPeople.  It’s a website which allows users to track their food intake, workouts and weight. 



Plan to Balance Your Holiday Food Intake!

Posted on: November 29th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

JANE’S NUTRITION TIPS — Plan to Balance your Food Intake during the Holidays

For some people, holiday eating means abandoning sensible everyday choices while overeating. You can have the delicious tastes at Christmas time by going for quality and not the quantity of food. These four simple planning tips can help you keep your calories in check over this busy time of year.

Balancing out the Calories for the Holiday Function

Often, clients tell me that they don’t eat all day so they can splurge at the holiday function that evening. Good idea? No!

  • Instead, think about maintaining a balance before, during and after the holidays. Don’t skip meals in anticipation of a feast.
  • Eating breakfast and lunch will ensure that you are not famished when you arrive at the function.
  • If the event starts late, it is wise to have a small snack (e.g., a yogurt with almonds or half a sandwich) in the late afternoon, so you don’t get to the function and start overeating.

Family Dinners

Be mindful of what you are eating and when you are full.

  • Be sure to fill one plate with the most nutritious foods including a variety of colours (green – broccoli, white – potatoes, yellow – peppers, red – tomatoes, etc.).
  • Eat slowly and focus on the task at hand…Eating! This will give the brain time to receive the “full” signal from the stomach and prevent you from overdoing it, but it will also let you savour the flavours (even your mother–in-law’s turkey stuffing…).

Alcoholic Beverages and Desserts

This may add to the festivities, but it also adds a lot of “empty” calories.

  • To reduce alcoholic calories, have a vodka with clubsoda (no calories) or cranberry juice.
  • Have only one glass of a great red wine, and then have sparkling water with lemon for the rest of the event.

As visions of chocolates, sugar cookies and other tasty holiday treats run through your head and onto your hips, remember to enjoy desserts in petite portions.

  • Indulge in a small amount of your favourite, such as homemade shortbread.
  • Snack on high fibre fruit with natural sugars throughout the holidays.

Water and Activity

  • Drink lots of water. It’ll help you feel fuller, so you’re less tempted to fill up on too much food, and you’ll generally feel better for staying hydrated.
  • Make time for staying active. Activity or exercise will help give you more energy, allow you to deal better with the inevitable holiday strain, and help you maintain your weight.

Recipe – These healthy snack bars can be made ahead of time and are a great on-the-go option during some of your busiest days of the year.

Jane Dummer, RD, is a leading dietitian for the Canadian food and nutrition industry and a long-time resident of Waterloo region. Jane offers services for corporations and media, specializing in agri-food, functional foods and workplace nutrition and wellness. Follow Jane on Twitter @janedummer and subscribe to her Grow with Nutrition Blog.

It’s never too late to eat healthy!



Holiday Food Safety Prep!

Posted on: October 30th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

JANE’S NUTRITION TIPS

Let the Holiday Food Safety Prep Begin! 

Food Safety Starts With You:

You’ve heard it before; wash your hands before touching any foods. This is a simple way to keep germs from spreading to food. Wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds. Remember to keep your hands clean throughout the preparation process, especially between handling raw and cooked foods.

Storage:

When storing ingredients in your fridge, keep raw foods separate from cooked and ready-to-eat foods. Storing raw foods such as the uncooked turkey on the bottom shelf of your fridge is an easy way to ensure turkey juices do not drip onto other foods.

Holiday Buffets:

During the holidays, potlucks and buffets are very popular. There are a few things that you should remember so the food you, your family and your friends are consuming is safe.

  • Cook food to the safe internal temperature, and serve it immediately after it has reached this temperature.
  • Keep hot foods hot (at least 60°C /140°F and above). This can be done by using warming trays, chafing dishes or crock pots.
  • Keep cold foods cold (at or below 4°C /40°F). This can be done by putting the serving trays on crushed ice.
  • Throw away any food that has been sitting on the buffet table in the temperature danger zone (between 4°C and 60°C) for more than 2 hours.
  • Remember to provide serving utensils for every dish on the buffet table to prevent guests from using their fingers.

The Best Part: Leftovers!

Everyone looks forward to leftovers from big feasts.

After the foods have been served quickly store in uncovered, shallow containers. This will help the food cool more quickly.

Eat the refrigerated leftovers within 2 to 3 days or freeze the food instead.

The fridge can become overstocked very quickly with leftovers; be sure that the cool air in the fridge can still circulate.

Hot leftovers need to be reheated to at least 74°C (165°F) before consuming. Check out this food temperature chart link to verify your food is fully cooked.

Make food safety your most important ingredient during the holidays by planning ahead!

Jane Dummer, RD, is a leading dietitian for the Canadian food and nutrition industry and a long-time resident of Waterloo region. Jane offers services for corporations and media, specializing in agri-food, functional foods and workplace nutrition and wellness. Follow Jane on Twitter @janedummer and subscribe to her Grow with Nutrition Blog.

It’s never too late to eat healthy!



Jane’s Nutrition Tips for Back to School!

Posted on: October 11th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

 

JANE’S NUTRITION TIPS

Back to School – Back on Track

Even for those of us who aren’t heading to class this September, the busy back-to-school rush is underway. Rather than get caught up in the seasonal frenzy, take some time to mindfully prepare with these healthy and helpful back-to-school tips.

Learn to Delegate

You can’t do everything, so trusting others with responsibility is one of the most important ways to boost productivity. Have your children help out in the kitchen, share the grocery shopping and cooking with your partner and if possible, the rest of the family.

Plan Ahead

Start your weekly meal plan on the weekend

Set aside 15 minutes to review your kitchen – the pantry, the refrigerator and the freezer. Identify the meals you can make from the ingredients on hand. Then create a grocery list for the family favourite recipes. After grocery shopping, commit to one to two hours of meal preparation, such as peeling and dicing veggies, cooking breakfast bars, making double the family favourite recipe, and then freezing portion sizes for easy access during the busy week.

Strategize

Envisioning your meal plan for just 10 minutes a day can keep you on track and reduce your chance of diverting to take out or fast food.

No-cook Meals

Remember no-cook meals can be just as satisfying and nutritious as cooking a full course meal. Try spinach greens, sliced red onion, diced cucumber and sliced chicken breast (made on the weekend) with a small amount of dressing, topped with almonds or walnuts for a tasty and nutritious meal to take to work or to have for supper on an eventful evening.

Keep on Track 

Find out the best routine for you (and your family). If you observe things getting off track, include the meal planning on your priority to-do list, and then the simple satisfaction of checking tasks off your to-do list should keep you motivated and on track.

Recipe

This is one of my favourite recipes, Morning Glory Breakfast Bars, to make ahead of time for a quick breakfast, afternoon snack or healthy dessert option from Dairy Farmers of Canada – Dairy Goodness Website.

Need More Tips for Your Kids?

For more tips to keep your kid’s nutrition on track – check out my YouTube Channel Video Healthy Eating Tips for the Family.

Jane Dummer, RD, is a leading dietitian for the Canadian food and nutrition industry and a long-time resident of Waterloo region. Jane offers services for corporations and media, specializing in agri-food, functional foods and workplace nutrition and wellness. Follow Jane on Twitter @janedummer and subscribe to her Grow with Nutrition Blog.

 It’s never too late to eat healthy!



Best Berries recipe!

Posted on: September 7th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

Best Berries

3/4 cup (175 ml) – pineapple juice
2 tbsp (25 ml) – lemon juice
3 tbsp (45 ml) – plain or frozen yogurt
12 strawberries (hulled and halved if fresh)
1 ripe banana, peeled and chopped

In blender, combine pineapple juice, lemon juice, yogurt, strawberries and banana.  Process as directed until smooth.

Serves 3

You can use any berry – raspberry, strawberry, blueberry, or blackberry – in this sweet summer drink.

The Smoothies Bible, Pat Crocker, 2003

 



Watermelon Salad Recipe!

Posted on: August 7th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

Summer is the best time for salad—when fresh produce is so readily available!

Pauline’s Summer Salad – Erika Holenski, ND

 

It doesn’t get much simpler than this!

Ingredients:

½ watermelon – diced
2 green onions – diced
2 handfuls cilantro – finely chopped

Cut the flesh from half a watermelon into bite-sized pieces. Chop two green onions and add to the watermelon. Finely chop the cilantro and add to the mixture. Refrigerate for about one hour, so the juice of the watermelon acts as a dressing and brings the flavours together. Enjoy!

It’s never too late to improve your health!



Eat Right Ontario!

Posted on: July 4th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

Was one of your 2012 resolutions to eat healthier? Spring is almost over, so don’t procrastinate. EatRight Ontario can help you improve your health and well-being through healthy eating.

The website provides nutrition tips and easy-to-use tools to make healthier food choices. You can call or email a dietitian for no charge if you are an Ontario resident.


                                It’s never too late to improve your eating habits!



Triple B Muffins!

Posted on: June 12th, 2012 by Cathy Mendler No Comments

Buttermilk, Bran and Blueberry Muffins

  3 cups (750 ml) natural bran
  2 cups (500 ml) whole-wheat flour
  ½ cup (125 ml) granulated sugar
  1 tbsp (15 ml) baking powder
  1 tsp (5 ml) baking soda
  2 eggs, beaten
  2 cups (500 ml) buttermilk
  1/3 cup (75 ml) vegetable oil
  ½ cup (125 ml) molasses
  1 cup (250 ml) fresh or frozen blueberries

In large bowl, mix together bran, flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.  In another bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil and molasses; pour into bran mixture and stir just enough to moisten, being careful not to overmix.  Fold in blueberries.

Spoon into non-stick or paper-lined large muffin pans filling almost to top.  Bake in 375ºF/190ºC oven for about 25 minutes or until firm to the touch.  Remove from oven and let stand for 2 minutes before removing muffins from pan.  Makes about 20 muffins.

Instead of buttermilk, you can substitute 2 cups (500 ml) milk plus 2 tbsp (25 ml) white vinegar

Per Muffin:  160 calories, 5 g fat, 31 mg chol., 111 mg sodium, 5 g protein, 29 g carbohydrate
GOOD:  niacin, iron     EXCELLENT:  fiber

Anne Lindsay, from The Lighthearted Cookbook, 1998