Making small changes one meal at a time

            Did you know that March is Nutrition Month in Canada? The Nutrition Month slogan this year is “Take a 100-meal journey. Make small changes one meal at a time”.

Want to eat healthier? If you answered yes to this question, then how do you start? Here are a few tips to get you started:

1-      Take the pledge
Focus on making a small, nourishing change and stick with it…one meal at a time.

2-      Set realistic goals
Set 1 to 3 goals. Don’t try to change everything at once. It will be overwhelming and hard to keep up.

3-      Change your eating environment
Redesign your environment by adding healthy cues in your house or workplace. Ex: Having a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen counter. Make healthy foods easily accessible and in your view. Put treats out of your sight. Hide them in the back of cupboards or in the back of the fridge.

4-      Plan ahead
Meal planning is important, because then you’ll be less likely to make end-of-day fast food stops.
-> When cooking, cook larger quantities than needed for that specific meal. Portion leftovers and chill/freeze them for future use during the week.
**Leftover lunches are simple, healthy and budget-friendly. **
->You can also re-invent leftovers to change things up. Here are a few examples:
-Cook extra chicken for dinner. For lunch, wrap chicken in soft tacos, with crunchy cabbage and shredded carrots, a sprinkle of feta and big squeeze of juicy lime.
-Roast extra root veggies. Layer them on crusty whole grain bread with hummus and baby spinach for a scrumptious sandwich.

5-      Need support?
The dietitians of Canada offer 3 different apps than can help you achieve healthy eating habits:
->Cookspiration: This app contains plenty of Dietitian-approved recipes
->eaTracker: This app helps you track your food intake. It also includes a recipe analyzer.
->eaTipster: This app gives you one healthy eating tip per day to keep you motivated and on track.

Our Registered Dietitian, Chanelle Melanson, is available to give you support and help you get started on your journey to a healthy lifestyle. To book a consultation with Chanelle, you can call Optimal Health at (506)855-6784 or e-mail her at dietitian@santeoptimalhealth.ca. Her services are covered by most insurance plans.

 

 

 

 

Our health professionals can guide you to Optimal Health!

 

 

Contact us at: (506) 855-6784 or e-mail: ttoner@santeoptimalhealth.