The Dish

So it’s that time of year again… we end up losing count of the mini quiche and cocktail snacks we had for dinner, wine is always on the menu, and any desert made with chocolate and alcohol (ie rum balls) are a must have.  Well I must say, (and you have heard me say this before), don’t forget about the 80-20 rule. Stick to healthy eating according to Canada’s Food Guide 80% of the time but allow yourself a treats for 20%. Special occasions come around once a year, but it doesn’t mean we want to overeat to the point of being uncomfortable. Find a balance that works for you and focus on the connectedness of the holiday season rather than the food. Here are a few tips:

Plan ahead and continue to eat regularly. Just because you are having turkey dinner at 5pm doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat anything earlier in the day. Have balanced meals, every 3-4 hours, throughout the holidays and have a plan for what you are going to eat at the party/dinner event.

Have healthy snacks on hand. This is true during the semester when you are at school but this also goes for when you are out for a full day of shopping. Mandarin oranges are great to go, and pack some plain nuts/seeds as well.

Serve plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables. For holiday flair dress up your vegetable platter with red and green peppers or add fresh cranberries or pomegranate seeds to your punch.

Enjoy alcohol in moderation. Alcohol can dehydrate you and adds extra calories. Alternate alcoholic drinks with water or soda water with lemon/lime.

Keep moving. Shopping can actually be a part of your daily physical activity, you can learn more my joining an upcoming health promotion program, 7 Weeks to Wellness.

Best of the season to you all,
Rosie

Simple Microwave Oatmeal Squares
(Makes 12 squares)

½ cup soft, non-hydrogenated margarine

½ teaspoon almond or vanilla extract

½ cup packed brown sugar

2 cups rolled oats (not instant)

In an 8 inch/2L square glass or microwave safe dish, microwave the margarine for 40 -60 seconds or until it melts. Stir in all other ingredients and mix well. Press the mixture into the the pan and microwave again at high for 5 minutes. Let cool before slicing into squares. 

If you prefer to use an oven, you can bake for 15minutes in a 350F oven until it is bubbling and golden brown.

Tips
Add dried cranberries, raisins or even mini chocolate chips for a treat.
This is a great replacement for commercially made granola bars and made for a fraction of the cost as well!

Nutrition Tips
Per square 148kcal, 18g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 2g protein and 8g fat.
Have a bar as a snack with a piece of fresh fruit.

This recipe adapted from Anne Lindsay’s New Lighthearted Cookbook: Recipes for Heart Healthy Cooking

Print-friendly Version – Simple Microwave Oatmeal Squares

Firstly I will say that as per Canada’s Food Guide, “Another important step towards better health and healthy body weight is limiting foods high in calories, fat, sugar or salt such as cookies and granola bars…”

The problem with granola bars is they sound healthier than they are. Have a look at the ingredient list. One of my key recommendations is if there are ingredients you cannot pronounce it is a good idea to put the product back. Although Nutri-Grain bars are “made with whole grain oats” they only have about 1 gram of fiber per bar. That is not a lot considering we need 25-35grams of fiber a day. Also their “real fruit filling” is mostly sugar as well as the second ingredient in the crust.

With Nature’s Valley products, there are many of types of bars but most of them too are not a good source of fiber (only 1-2grams per bar) and are packed with a lot of sugar and ingredients you cannot pronounce.

I’d recommend making your own granola bars, try the Booster Bar recipe I posted a while back. Or if you are looking for a quick portable snack, I recommend trail mix. Make your own with your favorite, plain nuts and seeds. Try trail mix with a piece of fruit for a snack instead of a commercial granola bar.

Nutrition Tips for Road Trips

After just returning from a great weekend in Vernon and upon the suggestion of two very keen students, I thought I would share some nutrition tips for road trips. The drive to Vernon from Vancouver is supposed to be 4.5 – 5 hours but when you factor in summer construction and everyone else who was away for the long weekend, my drive ended up being close to 7 hours! So what do you do when it comes to meals and snacks? Check out the tips below.

Bring a cooler, stock it with fresh fruit and vegetables, lots of water and even 100% fruit juice or fruit juice spritzers. President’s Choice just came out with a line of 100% juice spritzers which are great and count for your servings of vegetables and fruit from Canada’s Food Guide.

Try to plan ahead as much as possible, and bring your meal with you. Just as you would pack your lunch for a day at work or school – pack for your road trip. The night before my adventure – I decided to make oatmeal chocolate chip cookies (a nice treat) and egg salad (I didn’t prepare the actual sandwiches until the morning of so they wouldn’t get soggy). And be sure you have enough ice packs or ice in your cooler especially with foods such as egg, cheese or meat which need to be refrigerated. The best thing about bringing your meal is all you need is a great picnic spot instead of looking for a restaurant or resorting to fast food. And be sure to check out this month’s feature recipe for Zesty Hummus which would be great to bring along for dipping fresh vegetable sticks.

Make sure you have snacks, because even if you think you are going to make it somewhere in 3 hours it might not happen and there is nothing worse than being stuck in traffic and hungry! See the snack list from the Snack Smart page.  Also, last time I was out for breakfast I got a couple of those peanut butter portions (I actually asked to buy them but they gave them to me for free). These are great for on the road as peanut butter doesn’t otherwise travel so well.

If you do end up dining out – which I did on the way home, (I could only stock up so much from my friend’s place), try these great tips from Dietitians of Canada for Making Wise Food Choices Wherever You Go.

A little menu planning goes a long way

I just cleaned out my fridge yesterday, and to my disappointment there were a few food items that had past their fresh date (to say the least). I was scared to open the yogurt container for fear of the monstrous mold that could be inside. I also had some green onions that weren’t really green any more. I don’t know if this sounds like you but I was just having a conversation about grocery shopping and trying my best not to waste food. So how do you do it? It takes a little bit of planning. We may veer away from our plan once in a while but it’s the best thing to keep us eating well and saving money. Here are a few tips to try:

1. Post an ongoing grocery list where it’s easy to see.

• Add items to the list as you run out.
• Make shopping easier. List foods under headings (produce, dairy, etc.).

2. Ask for ideas and share the work.

• Ask others (roommates, family, friends) for lunch or dinner ideas.
• Share the jobs – planning, shopping, cooking and clean-up too!

3. List your favourite seasonal meals ideas.

• Use the list as an idea starter. Keep it to use again.
• Try something new. Get ideas from Rosie’s Recipes.

4. Find out what’s on hand and what’s on special.

• Check the fridge, cupboard and freezer
• Note what needs to be used up soon so it does not go to waste.
• Keep your cupboards well-stocked with healthy basics. 

5. Start planning!

• Keep meals simple during the busy work week.
• Think of a few meals that you can make that will be great as leftovers.

6. Eat healthy!

• Serve at least one serving of vegetables and/or fruit with each meal.
• Limit the processed or prepared foods. 

7. Save time.

• Use leftovers for lunches or as part of another meal.
• Use time-saving appliances: slow cooker, rice cooker, toaster oven. 
• Take a night off, take advantage of what you have cooked and frozen.

Here is what works for me, a little bit of multitasking and menu planning…

When I went shopping the other night, I decided before hand that I was going to make Tandoori Haddock (also this month’s feature recipe). So I bought the fish, tandoori paste and basmati rice from the bulk foods section and some fresh veggies. I made extra rice that night so later in the week when I make Curried Chick Peas – I will already have a side. Actually I just remembered that I won’t be cooking tomorrow night as I have a late meeting but I can freeze the rice and it will be great for the next time. While I was washing dishes from dinner, I boiled an egg and stuck it in the fridge. This morning while I was eating breakfast, I chopped the egg with some green onion (a fresh bunch) and celery and mixed with some mayo for an egg salad sandwich for lunch. And at lunch I am planning to go for a bit of a walk – I think I will pick up a fresh whole wheat bun for a veggie burger tonight. I already have veggies for salad and frozen burger patties. I know it might seem a bit crazy – I am always thinking about what I am eating next! But I must say, a little menu planning goes a long way.

 Reference: EatRight Ontario, 7 Steps for Quick and Easy Menu Planning

Hi, I’ve been reading your blog for a little while, finally I have a question about the healthiness of a snack my wife and I are addicted to. They are seaweed snacks called Tao Kae Noi.  We used to eat chips all the time, but we switched to mostly eating these as well as popcorn for snacks. However, these are really addictive and sometimes we eat two 40g. bags each in a day, though usually no more than 4 per week each. I know the seaweed itself is relatively healthy, but I’m wondering about the other ingredients. Here they are for the wasabi flav.: Seaweed 85%, Palm Oil 9%, wasabi powder 2.8%, sugar 1.6%, salt 1.2%, Flavour Enhancer (E635) 0.4%. So, do you think it’s OK to eat them regularly, or what?

Well, judging by the amounts you are eating and the percentages of the ingredients I am not overly concerned. Palm oil is a saturated fat however, and we do want to limit our intake of saturated fat. When you eat 80g of these seaweed snacks you get about 3% of your daily value for saturated fat. You want to keep your saturated fat intake to no more than 10% of your daily energy intake. The other potential concern could be sodium, but based on my calculations it appears that per package the snacks are providing about 320mg of sodium. This is reasonable since I usually recommend no more than 2300mg of sodium per day (that is the amount of sodium in about 1 teaspoon of salt). Seaweed is an excellent source of iodine and vitamin K and a very good source of folate and magnesium. You may have read this before on the blog, but my motto really is “everything in moderation”. So continue to enjoy your seaweed snacks, a few small bags a week sounds like moderation to me! And it is definitely a superior choice when compared to potato chips.

Excellent question, I have a long answer though….

In 2007 the Ministry of Health was involved in the development of Nutritional Guidelines for Vending Machines in B.C. Public Buildings. Food and beverages sold in vending machines in provincially-funded public buildings must meet these guidelines. SFU counts as a public building.

To support implementation of these guidelines, Dietitian Services of HealthLinkBC created the “Brand Name Food List”. Based on the nutritional guidelines and the content of the food item, foods are ranked into 4 categories:

• Choose Most
• Choose Sometimes
• Choose Least
• Not Recommended

Larabars (Fruit and Nut Energy Bar and Jocolat) are “Choose Most” items while Nature’s Path (Organic Chewy Granola Bars, Organic Optimum Energy Bars) are ranked as “Choose Sometimes or Choose Least” depending on the flavour. The nutritional guidelines are very specific in terms of serving size, amount of fat etc. You can look up how your favorite snack food is ranked by visiting www.brandnamefoodlist.ca.

At Burnaby campus, because we have an existing contract for vending we have dedicated some vending machines to healthier choices but not all. You will see the healthier choices (Choose Most or Choose Sometimes items) marked by an apple sticker. At Surrey campus, all of the vending items meet the nutritional guidelines: 50% of the items are Choose Most and 50% are Choose Sometimes.

This is a common question I get when I am in the fitness centre, there is a similar question here. The best foods to eat are what work for you, everyone’s tolerance is different. Also try to stick to an eating pattern of every 3-4 hours. But for some great suggestions and more specific information check out the resources below from Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Pre-Workout Nutrition

Post-Workout Nutrition

Firstly, I have to address your desire to lose weight. Please see my response to other similar questions here:

http://blogs.sfu.ca/services/thedish/?p=709

http://blogs.sfu.ca/services/thedish/?p=629

Also see this month’s topic of the month – celebrating our natural sizes.

I don’t label foods as “good” or “bad” or “junk”. All foods can fit in moderation. As a dietitian, people around me are often looking at what I eat. I like potato chips to add crunch to a sandwich, and I also love chocolate – everything from cakes to candy bars. I even had some Coke this weekend! (It was hard not to at all the Coca-Cola sponsored Olympic events.) That being said, I emphasize the 80-20 rule which is 80 percent of the time we stick to healthy eating according to Canada’s Food Guide and 20 percent of the time we allow ourselves to enjoy treats. Remember, eating healthy tastes great, it doesn’t mean constantly counting fat grams or feeling guilty after having a treat.

We would all like to lose weight but more importantly we want to lose the weight in a safe manner. Portion control is a problem. We’re not exactly sure how much of things we should be eating or what a serving looks like. 4oz we think should be the size of our palms but we’re not exactly sure. Also, we find ourselves snacking a lot, after work outs or late at night. Do you have suggestions to get us away from the fridge and cupboards?  

I’m happy to answer your questions. First of all, ask yourself if your weight loss goal is realistic and necessary. I always remind students that it is not the number on the scale that dictates how we should feel about ourselves. Eating well and being active leads to numerous other health benefits such as decreased risk of developing chronic disease, stronger immunity, better sleep. I could go on and on.

So with regard to portion control, a serving of meat is about the size of the palm of your hand. As per Canada’s Food Guide it is 75 grams or 2.5 ounces of cooked meat. This could also be measured as ½ cup. One thing I often recommend is to measure ½ cup of chopped cooked meat and put it on your plate. Do the same with the servings listed in the other food groups as well. This is a one time exercise that can help you visualize an appropriate portion. The recommended servings in each of the 4 food groups outlined in Canada’s Food Guide is a great guideline to follow if you are aiming to improve your health. You could also evaluate what you are eating now and how it compares to what is recommended for you by using www.eatracker.ca

 As for snacking, research shows that late night snacking can be a result of unbalanced meals throughout the day as well as inadequate protein intake. Make sure you are eating every 3-4 hours and including protein at each meal or snack. Aim to have 2 out of the 4 food groups at snacks and 3 out of 4 at meals. I don’t want to “get you away from the fridge” necessarily. If you are active, chances are you need that snack even if it is late at night. Check out these Fast and Easy Meal/Snack Ideas.