March is Nutrition Month.  What a better time to take stock of your health, kitchen and recipes.  Chinweoke touches on eating healthy on a budget.  

Kristy has given us 32 great tips to think about, act upon and consider for Nutrition Month.  One for each day of month and a bonus tip to carry over into April.  I have listed a week’s worth of tips and for the full listing of them, join us on Facebook www.facebook.com/canolagrowers to get the tip everyday into your account or go to www.canolarecipes.ca/blogspot for the complete article.  

There are some delicious recipes from the Quick and Healthy Recipes the whole family can enjoy recipe book that are quick, easy and fits the heart health bill for you and your family. 

Be Well…Ellen

Nutrition on a Budget

Fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats and whole grains provide the body with vitamins and minerals essential for health. Although for some this may be a challenge financially, as healthy eating can be more expensive than convenience foods.  In this months article we will take a look at how to purchase healthy foods, and eat nutritiously on a budget.

A great way save money when purchasing fruits and vegetables is to buy them frozen or canned. Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables have the same great nutritional value as fresh produce, and are less expensive and can be kept for longer periods of time. It is important to make sure you pick frozen produce that does not have any salt or sugar added, as well canned fruits that are packed in water or natural juices not syrup.

When purchasing fresh produce only buy what your family will eat before it spoils. Money is wasted when fresh foods are purchased and spoil before they can be eaten, so it is important to be aware of how much food your family will eat within a certain time frame. Other great canned products that can be nutritious for your family are low sodium variety beans, tomatoes, tomato soups and sauces and broths.

Checking grocery store flyers for sales and coupons are a great way to get deals on nutritious foods, being flexible in brands can helps save money with coupons too. Purchasing items such as meats, breads, and cheese and dairy that are on sale for the week can help to reduce costs. Checking out flyers and coupons ahead of shopping can allow you to plan meals for what’s on sale for the week.

Check out this article from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27423189/ that shows how to avoid the fast food dollar menus and keep meals healthy when money is tight.

It can take extra time and effort to purchase and prepare healthy meals when money is tight, but with these tricks more meals for your family can include healthy foods they need. It is so important to follow a healthy diet to prevent health complications and get the best out of life.

Eat Well…Chinweoke

32 Tips on Health, Exercise and Canola Oil for Nutrition Month

Tip of the day

March 1, 2010

Water is your best friend. Are you tired in the afternoon? You may be dehydrated. Are you having frequent headaches or back aches? You may be dehydrated. There are many symptoms you may have become accustomed to that may miraculously go away if you were to drink 8-10 cups of water a day. Water is a major component is all of your body’s systems. Water is also a key factor in healthy weight loss.  It is necessary to flush out the fat that is broken down during weight loss. If water intake is low during fat loss, you may be at risk for kidney stones. And lastly, it can help you lose weight because sometimes when you feel hungry, you’re actually thirsty and taking in calories that you don’t need. Try drinking a cup of water before you eat anything and see how you feel after that!

Tip of the day

March 2, 2010

How much water do you need to drink when you add exercise into your day? During a regular, no exercise, day you need to be taking in 8-10 cups of water. As soon as you add in exercise you need to add more water as well. When exercising you mainly lose water in the form of sweat…even in cold weather and water workouts. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that you never get to the point when you are thirsty, because then you are already mildly dehydrated. Try to drink 1-2 cups prior to exercising, ½-1 cup every 15 minutes during exercise and drink enough water after your workout so that you are not thirsty. If you’re not sure if you need more water or not, just have another ½ cup or so. You can have too much water, but chances are quite good that you will become dehydrated before you become over-hydrated.

Tip of the day

March 3, 2010

Do I need to use a sports drink during my workouts? Sports drinks are very popular and often overused. The time when a sports drink may be beneficial is if you are having a moderate to high intensity workout that lasts longer than 45min to 1 hour long. Before this time water is the best option. Water is easily absorbed in the body, readily available and much less expensive than sports drinks. Many athletes use sports drinks to replenish electrolytes. Some use it to gain some extra calories during a hard workout so to prevent premature muscle fatigue. Some use it because it tastes more appealing to them, and will therefore keep them drinking more. If you want the taste of a sports drink, try a low calorie variety so that your weight loss plan is not put off.

Tip of the day

March 4, 2010

What are electrolytes? They are chemically charges substances that can conduct electricity. Electrolytes are present in your body and are a key component in the normal functioning of all of our cells and organs. A few common electrolytes are sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate. Electricity in your body? Yes! The electrolytes help control the communication in your brain, nervous system and muscles. If there is a mild imbalance of any type the symptoms can be something like water retention. If there is a more extreme imbalance the symptoms can be fatal. The main thing to take away from the information on electrolytes is to drink a lot of water and to always refuel your system with healthy foods after a workout. Foods naturally contain the electrolytes you need and a healthy diet will help you maintain a healthy electrolyte level.

Tip of the day

March 5, 2010

Fibre is your friend.  Eat fibre to lose weight. Eat fibre to lower your blood pressure. Eat fibre to decrease your chances of heart disease and colon cancer. These are all common phrases in the nutrition world but what IS fibre and why do I need it? How can I get it efficiently? Well, fibre is essentially a carbohydrate that your body cannot digest. It is an important part of your diet for many reasons such as keeping a healthy digestive tract, keeping you feeling full longer, and keeping your bowel movements regular. You can get enough fibre in your diet by eating the recommended amounts of whole grains (brown and wild rice, whole grain bread/bagels/English muffins, etc), fruits and vegetables.

Tip of the day

March 6, 2010

Canola Oil is a good fat. Your body needs fat – to keep you warm, provide energy and help you absorb fat-soluble vitamins and caroteniods. But some fats are healthier for you that others.  Canola oil provides more of the good fats than any other popular vegetable oil. Essential good fats – canola oil is high. Fats are made up of smaller units called fatty acids.  Two fatty acids are essential in your diet because your body can’t make them.  Alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) is an essential omega-3 fatty acid and linoleic acid (LA) is an essential omega-6 fatty acid.  Both of these good fatty acids are polyunsaturated.  Canola oil is a good source of the ALA omega-3 fatty acid and its ratio of 2:1 of omega-6 to omega-3 is nutritionally ideal.  Omega-3 fatty acids protect against heart attacks and strokes by helping to lower bad cholesterol.  Omega-6 fatty acid is important for the brain and essential for the growth and development of infants. Canola oil contains very high levels of heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids too.  Monounsaturated fat lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) and helps control blood glucose. 

Tip of the day

March 7, 2010

Bad fats – canola oil is low. Saturated and trans fats are “bad”.  Saturated fats raise the bad cholesterol (LDL) in your body and have been linked to coronary heart disease.  Canola oil has the lowest saturated fat level of all vegetable oils.  Olive oil contains twice as much saturated fat as canola oil.  Trans fats raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol (HDL).  While all processed oils contain very small levels of trans fatty acids, North American government regulatory authorities define canola oil as zero trans fat.  Partially hydrogenating vegetable oils to make them more solid also increases trans fats.  Be wise: choose canola oil and non-hydrogenated soft margarines instead of solid fats such as partially hydrogenated margarine, shortening, lard and butter.

For all 32 great tips, go to www.canolarecipes.ca/blogspot for follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/canolagrowers

Keep Well…Kristy

With Nutrition month here, and the need of great recipes for your family, the Manitoba Canola Growers have the solution for you!  MCGA has partnered with Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba on its 3^rd annual Quick and Healthy Recipes the whole family can enjoy! recipe book. There are 15 family orientated recipes in this beautiful book along with cooking and nutrition tips. 

You can order your free copy by contacting the Manitoba Canola Growers office at info@mcgacanola.org or calling 204-982-2122

Heart and Stroke of Manitoba nutritionists Jenn and Christine demonstrate online 4 great recipes.  Watch them online at www.canolarecipes.ca or on Shaw TV during the month of March. 

Barley Lentil Soup http://www.mcgacanola.org/food_recipe_individual.cfm?id=478

Chicken Fingers with Honey Dill Sauce http://www.mcgacanola.org/food_recipe_individual.cfm?id=487

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies http://www.mcgacanola.org/food_recipe_individual.cfm?id=487

Eat Well…Ellen