3 Supplements that are Worth It

*Consult a physician or dietitian before starting any supplements.

Supplements can never replace a healthy diet. They should be used as diet enhancers rather than replacements.

Here are 3 supplements I use and find worth it.

1.Omega 3 Fatty Acids - Fish oil

Benefits- Heart health, brain health, cancer risk reduction.

My Brand of Choice: NutraSea
+ Vitamin D, High EPA, DHA, Arthritis, Vegetarian

2. Protein powder

Benefits: Makes you feel full longer, helps build muscle tissue.

A protein powder can help with increased protein needs as you age, muscle building, weight loss.

My Brand of Choice: Prairie Naturals (They also have vegan options)

3. Vitamin D.

You get Vitamin D naturally through different sources the main one being the sun - so going into the fall and winter you want to make sure you are getting a bit of help from a supplement.

You also get vitamin D in your diet through milk products, oily fish, egg yolks, mushrooms and fortified foods.

Benefits: Maintain healthy bones, Mood boosting (reduce depression), can aid in weight loss.

My Brand of Choice: SISU 1000IU

Heart Healthy Meal Plan

I see quite a few people with heart conditions, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.

Many clients feel they need to cut out every source of fat, and the diet has to be very bland. This isn’t the case. In fact, this often works against them as they have would have a hard time staying on the diet.

I’ve attached an example of a heart healthy day of eating. See link below. (Please be advised if you do have a heart condition, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, you should consult with a Dietitian to make sure a meal plan is right for you before starting one).

One-Day Example of a Heart Healthy Meal Plan

A few things to point out using the Nutrition Facts table on the Meal Plan.

1. Cholesterol is below 200 mg (Main sources of cholesterol are meat and eggs)

2. Saturated fat is low (3%). (Main sources of saturated fat are meat and cheese)

3. Sodium (salt) is below 1500 mg (Main sources of salt beyond the salt shaker are processed food and eating out)

4. Fibre is above 30g (including 10g of heart healthy soluble fibre)

A few things to point out about the food and structure of the meal plan

• Oats (oat fibre) helps lower cholesterol

• You are eating a lean meat (chicken), low in saturated fat.

• The day has a high amount of protein and fibre spread throughout the day, with 3 small meals and 2 snacks to help balance blood sugar levels, speed metabolism and keep binge eating in check.

Bowls and Platters - a Simple 1400 Calorie High Protein Meal Plan

September is great time to kickstart a high protein diet!

I find yogurt, fruit and nut bowls so easy in the morning.
Platters for lunches (nice and light)
Meat and Rice bowl for dinner (change up the spices and vegetables before reheating and you have a new bowl!)

Here’s a one day meal plan that you can easily follow with snacks, recipes and a grocery plan. Enjoy!

1-Day Meal Plan: 1400 calorie high protein meal plan

Banana Blueberry Seed Bowl (285 Cals with 21g of Protein)

Roast Turkey Platter (350 Cals with 18g of Protein)

Chicken Mexican Bowl (475 Cals with 35g of Protein)

Focus on the GOOD

It’s easy to be negative, beat yourself up and focus on everything you are doing wrong.

It takes work to focus on the good you are doing.

Again I’m going to use my husband as an example for this blog.

My husband always has 80-page Hilroy lined books lying around (kitchen counter, dresser, dinner table). One of these are dedicated to writing down the good things he does for his health.

You won’t find him writing down the pizza, beer or chocolate chip cookies.

You will find eggs, oats, carrots, grapes, cucumber, lemon water, salmon, sprouted bread, kefir, etc.

He knows if he writes the good things he is doing he will eat more good things and in turn eat less “bad” things. He even misses writing down a lot of the good things he eats but says that’s not the point.

It’s important to do it for a while because you can glance back once in a while and you know you’ve been doing well. Us humans need to see the proof. And, we like to see small “wins”. It keeps us going.

It helps when you are having a bad day or two. It’s easy to get off track and say I’ve been eating horribly the last while, which actually might not be the case. You can glance at the book and know just last week you were doing really well.

We can tend to focus on the negative and even exaggerate it.

FOCUS on the GOOD.

Try it for 3 weeks.

Take a note book.

Write down a date.

Just log your flights or steps or any workouts on the left side of the page.

On the right side write down the “Good” foods you are eating.

Nothing negative.

Then repeat it the next day.

Quick Portion Guide

Here’s a handy guide to help you with your portioning of meats, cheese, oils, vegetables, and grains.

Immune-Boosting Foods

A healthy diet includes foods known to have immunity-boosting qualities. Several nutrients have been noted to have these properties, such as protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc.

Add some of these immune-boosting foods to your diet:

1. Oysters (excellent source of zinc)

2. Beef tenderloin (very good source of zinc)

3. Sunflower Seeds (excellent source of vitamin E)

4. Almonds (very good source of vitamin E)

5. Red Peppers (excellent source of vitamin C)

6. Broccoli, steamed (very good source of vitamin C)

7. Yellowfin Tuna (excellent source of protein)

8. Chicken breast (excellent source of protein)

9. Raw carrots (excellent source of vitamin A)

10. Boiled Spinach (very good source of vitamin A)

What about Water?

It’s crucial to your immune system that you consume enough water every day. It cleanses your body of impurities and will allow your immune system to concentrate on fighting off germs.

How much is enough?

You need 1 ml of fluid per calorie that you consume. For example; if you are following a 1500-calorie diet, you need 1500ml (or 6 cups) of water per day. 2000-calorie diet, you need 2000 ml or 8 cups of water per day.

Created by: Danielle Van Schaick, Registered Dietitian

Is Beef Bad for your Health?

For many, no. It’s actually a superfood.

When we discuss high fat, cholesterol foods such as beef, eggs, and full fat dairy, we need to understand moderation and their place in your diet.

Too much of a good thing turns bad. If you have heart health issues beef isn’t advised. For others it can benefit your body greatly.

How many times a week can I eat beef?

1-2 times a week.

Why is beef a superfood?

• Rich Source of Iron

• Improve Muscle Growth

• Rich in Zinc. Important for body growth and maintenance

• Vitamin B12

• Contains all of the essential amino acids

• Beef is a complete protein

What are some of the healthiest ways to eat beef?

1. The less processed the better. So skip boxed burgers and steaks.

2. Steak prepared at home. Grilled and seasoned with salt and pepper. *Restaurant steaks are tenderized and can contain a whole days worth of sodium (salt). They often butter baste the steak right before hitting your plate.

3. Use extra lean ground beef in your chili or pasta sauces. Low fat and packed full of protein and iron.

Cheap Healthy Foods

Here are 6 foods that give you your best Nutrition Bang for your Buck

1.Eggs

Eggs are a superfood and packed with nutrients. A great source of protein and healthy fats.

Question: How many eggs a week is healthy?

Answer: Depending on your diet I often say 6 a week. If you are vegetarian 8 or 9. If you have high cholesterol I would recommend 1-2 and egg whites.

Monday - Egg salad sandwich for lunch
Wednesday - 2 egg omelet with grainy toast and salad for dinner
Sunday - 2 eggs with avocado, tomato, grainy breast and an orange

2. Rotisserie Chicken

I don’t know the current price of a rotisserie chicken at Costco but it’s worth it. Even at your local grocery store you are getting tons of value.

The grocery store does the cooking and you get at least 4 meals of protein.

Each 100 grams of cooked chicken breast has 29g of protein

Some meal ideas on rotisserie chicken leftovers:

Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Chicken & Brown Rice Soup
Chicken Curry with Brown Rice

3. Carrots

A half of a cup has almost 75% of your daily recommended Vit A.

Often when I have the oven going for 30 or 40 minutes roasting or baking something I will pop some carrots in the oven. Simply cut them up in to pieces and toss with a bit of olive oil and sea salt.

I then use these roasted carrots over the next couple of days.

Heat in a pan with some soy sauce and serve with a protein and rice

Or

Heat in a pan with some onion/shallot and a bit of balsamic vinegar and OJ. Let it get some colour before serving.

4. Bananas

Rich in vitamins, minerals, fibre and simple sugar. They help aid digestion. They are rich in potassium which helps muscles recover after the gym.

Great on the go snack. Great in smoothies and muffins.

5.  Potatoes

Good source of fibre and is loaded with anti oxidants.

They are considered “A fill me up food”. This is because they have the fibre that keeps you feeling full for longer.

One of my favourite ways to prepare potatoes is to par boil them in some water with garlic. Let them dry for a few minutes on a plate. Then toss with a bit of olive oil and sea salt. Put them on a sheet pan and throw them in the oven until they are crispy.

6. Frozen Fruit

When fruit is out of season it can be quite expensive. Especially berries.  You can usually find a grocery store around you that puts bags of frozen fruit on sale.

Awesome antioxidants and nutrients.

Great for topping oatmeal, yogurt or putting in your smoothie.

Healthy Cheap Foods Honourable Mentions

Oats
Popcorn
Peanuts

Charred Corn Succotash

Up until 2 years ago I had never had Corn Succotash. In fact I didn’t really know what it was. Then someone served it at a party and it is now one of my favourite summer dishes to make. .

It is such an easy and delicious ways to use up corn on the cob.

Charred Corn Succotash

What you will need:

• Leftover corn on the cob

• Red or white onion and Red Pepper

• 2 slices of bacon or some chorizo or other meat

• Any (or all) of these Extras. Cilantro, cherry tomatoes, chives, chili flakes, pickled hot peppers.

Instructions

1. Start the BBQ

2. Put the corn on the cob on the BBQ.  At the same time put some white or red onion slices and Red Pepper on the grill. You want about 25% of the corn to be charred/blackened.

3. Use a knife and cut off kernels and chop the grilled onions and pepper.

4. Put a pan on the stove and pan fry some kind of meat. Usually bacon, or chorizo or another meat. You don’t need a lot. It’s just to add flavour. You could also add in fresh garlic if you like.

5. Clean any grease from pan.

6. Melt some butter or use olive oil. Add all vegetables and chopped meat. Season with Salt, pepper and garlic powder.

7. Add some extra flavour. Chili flakes, pickled peppers, green onions/chives, chopped cherry tomatoes. Fresh Cilantro.

You can serve as a starter with chips or as a side to your favourite grilled meat.

You will love it!