March is Nutrition Month and this year dietitians want to show Canadians that healthy eating is about more than food.
Food is an important part of healthy eating, but it’s only the beginning. How you eat is also vital to your health.
To mark Nutrition Month, we asked Niagara Health Clinical Dietitian Claire Chartrand to offer tips on how to eat:
Be mindful of your eating habits:
- Take time to eat
- Use your senses to help you connect with your food
- Eat meals without distractions such as electronic devices
- Listen to your internal hunger and fullness cues. Ask yourself: “Am I truly hungry, or am I eating because I am bored, tired or stressed?”
Plan what to eat and cook more often
- Involve family members in the planning and preparing of meals. Click here for more information on cooking with kids.
- Choose a few recipes for the week (use cookbooks, online cooking blogs, cooking apps). Click here for a nutrition month cookbook
- Make a grocery list of what you need
- Prepare food in advance (For example, cut up fruits and vegetables, make marinades and dressings)
- Cook in bulk so you have leftovers
- Freeze leftovers for fast meals on busy days
- Pack lunches to take to work
Enjoy your food
- Try new foods and new recipes
- Culture and food traditions can be a part of healthy eating. Share your food traditions with others
- Preserve and share family recipes
- Host a potluck and share recipes
When possible, eat meals together as a family or with friends
Try growing your own fruits, vegetables and herbs at home
More information on Nutrition Month is available here.
