Ask a Dietitian

The New Year is here and it’s time to set our New Year’s Resolutions.  To help you get started I have developed a 30 day nutrition health challenge.  Research shows that you are more likely to achieve your goals if you set resolutions.  There are 7 challenges per week for just over 4 weeks.  Each daily challenge will be tweeted out so follow me @eatingforenergy.  They will also be posted on my website weekly.

These challenges are meant to be simple, specific and achievable.  If you don’t like one of my challenges, replace it with one of your own.  Some of them you might already do so give yourself a check mark and keep doing it.

1. Clear out. Today is the day to get rid of all the junk food lying around from the holidays.  Those tempting boxes of Purdy’s chocolates are great to re-gift, freeze or donate.  You know yourself and you know your cravings.  Make room in the fridge by tossing out expired dressings and old leftovers.
2. Stock up. Write a list of the foods you need and the healthy foods you are going to start eating.  What breakfast foods do you need?  Lunch items? Add fruits and vegetables, yogurts and nuts for snack foods.
3. Eat Breakfast.  Starting today and forever more, it’s time to start eating breakfast.  This is the meal that will jumpstart your metabolism and set you up for success for the day.  It doesn’t need to be big, just something within the first hour of waking up.  Ideally try to include some complex carbohydrate such as a whole grain or fruit and some sort of protein such as eggs, nuts or yogurt.
4. Add veggies.  Make veggies your “go to” snack food by keeping some cut up and ready to go in the fridge for snacks and lunches.  Easy ones are baby carrots, cherry tomatoes and snap peas.  In a rush, grab a whole bell pepper and eat it like an apple.
5. Eat more veggies.  Cover ½ your plate with vegetables at lunch and dinner.  Have a green salad, vegetable soup, steamed vegetables, roasted root vegetables, sautéed Swiss chard or Kale salad. The more vegetables you fill up on the less of the other stuff you will eat.
6. Add fruit to breakfast.  Fruit adds fluid, fibre and antioxidants.  Fruit also contain vitamin C which helps you absorb the iron in your breakfast cereal, toast, nut butter and egg.
7. Snack.  Adding a yogurt, piece of fruit, latte, handful of nuts or some veggies and hummus will help fill the gap and tide you over until your next meal.  It will also help maintain your energy and prevent cravings or overeating at the next meal.  Remember, if you’re not hungry for your next meal, your snack was too big.