Unlock the Potential of Food

I'm so excited to be part of this year's Dietitians of Canada Nutrition Month Campaign! We are celebrating Nutrition Month 2018 by helping Canadians unlock the potential of food to fuel, discover, prevent, heal and bring us together.
 
Dietitians all have one thing in common: we love food! Shocking, right? Whether we are counseling a patient recovering from a heart attack, teaching a cooking class or taking students through a tour of a grocery store, we are all passionate about the potential of food and its connection to health. You will learn so much this month about the amazing potential of food!
 
To kick off Nutrition Month, I'm going to discuss foods potential to fuel.

Almost half of all Canadians say they find it challenging to eat a balanced diet because they are so busy. They often skip meals and close to 30% of Canadians say they eat of lot of snacks to stay fueled throughout a busy day.
 
Snacks sometimes get a bad rap. To some, snacking means eating when you're not hungry and to others it means loading up on unhealthier foods like chips, cookies and candy.  
 
Nutritious snacks, in the right portion sizes can be part of a healthy eating plan and is a great way to get all the nutrients the body needs each day.
 
Five Smart Snacking Tips:
Fueling your body with healthy snacks between meals can help maintain stable blood sugar levels and lead to more consistent energy throughout the day. Snacks can also curb your appetite and prevent overeating at meals. Make snacking a piece of cake (okay, maybe that was the wrong analogy here) with these five tips:

1. Plan ahead. Make yourself a snack bucket at the beginning of the week. Cut up veggies, portion out nuts or cubed cheese. Having read-to-eat snacks on hand for when you get hungry can help you avoid less-healthy treats.
2. Listen to your hunger cues. Ask yourself: Am I really hungry? Or do I just want to eat because I am bored, stressed, tired or upset?
3. Practice portion control. Manage portion size by putting a single portion on a plate instead of eating from a bag or box.
4. Eat mindfully. Avoid snacking when you are reading, working, watching TV or playing on a computer. You may eat more than you need if you are distracted.
5. Find the right 'pear' (see what I did there?) The best type of snacks are those that contain protein and fibre.

Healthy Snack Ideas:
Next time you're looking to fuel up between meals, skip the vending machine or coffee shop and give one of these tasty snack suggestions a try:

1. Raw vegetables (carrots, cucumber, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes) with hummus.
2. Fresh fruit (banana, apple, pear, orange) with a small handful of unsalted nuts.
3. Hardboiled egg with a handful of grapes.
4. Stalk of celery filled with low fat cottage cheese or peanut butter.
5. Greek yogurt topped with berries.
6. Whole grain crackers with cheese.
7. A bag of homemade trail mix made with dry cereal, dried fruit, nuts and seeds.
8. Unsweetened applesauce topped with chopped walnuts.
9. Roasted chickpeas.
10. Cheddar cheese and apple slices.

Visit Cookspiration or download the app for more un'beet'able snack ideas!

Writer: ​Stephanie MacNeill (RD)