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by Anita RomaniwRegistered Dietitian-Nutritionists across North America are promoting the importance of nutrition as a determinant of your daily health. Healthy eating is important regardless of your age, gender and life style. Whether you are a busy mom or an active teen, all your nutritional needs can be met in ways that suit your individual eating habits. Looking for healthy ways that can fit your lifestyle? Keep the five "B's" in mind:
1. Be realistic: small changes count too!
Eating well doesn't mean you have to give up the foods you love. Food is pleasure. Healthy eating is the average of what you eat over time - not one meal or one day's intake. Make small changes slowly. For example, you can increase the variety of your meals by preparing one new recipe per month - the average family rotates around only 10 recipes. If you need to increase the fibre content of your diet, sprinkle a little bran on your regular cereal or mix your favourite fruit into the pancake batter. Small changes can go a long way to spicing up variety.
2. Be adventurous: let your taste buds travel!
Tempt your taste buds by sampling foods from different cultures. Ever encounter the sweet smell of Thai lemon grass? Or the many variations of Indian curries? An experience in Asia, Australia or South America is a dining adventure to remember. What a way to add creativity and appeal to your traditional food choices, along with a journey into history.
3. Be flexible: it's a balancing act.
Juggling a hectic schedule is part of everyday living; it's a balancing act. Healthy eating can be part of this merry-go-round lifestyle - with a little planning. If you don't make time for meals, then snack. Take some of your favourites with you, whether it be dried fruit, cereal bars, homemade cookies, bagels, crackers, hard boiled eggs or cheese. Keep snacks in your car, office or briefcase. Keep cereal, yogurt, instant soups or frozen pizza at your workplace for quick, easy-to-prepare meals. Planning in advance keeps you from resorting to the hot dog vendor, and builds better lifestyle habits in the long term.
4. Be sensible; don't overdo it!
Ever catch yourself saying, "I can be bad today because my diet starts tomorrow?" This kind of all-or-nothing thinking won't get your far. Extremes just aren't fun. A more sensible, more realistic approach may be to enjoy every bite without overindulging too frequently. And if you really want to indulge, enjoy every bite and get on with life. If you make it a habit to eat when you're hungry and stop when you're psychologically full, you will be helping yourself maintain a weight that is right for you. Of course, choosing healthy foods often and exercising throughout the lifecycle make a lot of sense too.
5. Be active: make your move!
Active living doesn't mean having to spend hours at a gym or purchasing expensive exercise equipment. Active living is doing activities that you enjoy and that fit into your lifestyle. A moderate exercise program can go a long way in helping to build and maintain good health. Aim to get active for 30 minutes each day. It doesn't have to be all at once. Start by fitting in three sessions of 10 minutes each. Every minute counts, no matter the time of day. Make exercise your play time and encourage others to play with you. In time, you'll be playing longer because you'll realize that exercise is really fun.
How healthy is your eating style? As healthy as it could be? Take this quiz to find out. Answer YES or NO to the following questions to calculate your score at the end:
Are you realistic?
1. Do you follow Canada's Food Guide to Healthy Eating?
2. Do you eat enough food to keep active and maintain your weight?
3. Do you make small, healthy changes in what you eat instead of going on a fad diet?
Are you adventurous?
4. Do you eat a variety of foods every day?
5. Do you try a new vegetable or fruit occasionally?
6. Do you cook with different herbs and spices?
7. Do you try ethnic dishes or ingredients?
Are you flexible?
8. Do you balance higher-fat food choices with lower-fat food choices over several days?
9. Do you enjoy all kinds of foods in moderation?
Are you sensible?
10. Do you enjoy treats on special occasions?
11. Do your portion sizes match those in Canada's Food guide to Healthy Eating recommendations?
12. Do you limit your intake of salt, alcohol and caffeine?
Are you active?
13. Do you try to be active every day?
14. Does your activity total at least 30 minutes on most days?
15. Are you at a healthy weight?
What's your score? Give yourself one point for every YES answer.
11-15 points - You have some great eating habits, check the quiz for a few more tips.
6-10 points - You have some good eating habits. Make your eating style better by trying one tip from the quiz each month.
0-5 points - Eating well can be a challenge for you. Right now, try one of the tips from the quiz. Remember, small changes add up!
Anita Romaniw is the community nutritionist for the Fraser Valley Health Region in British Columbia, Canada.
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