New Year Resolution: Improve your breakfast!

2016 is officially here and it is time to start the year fresh with some easy nutrition tips to help you cut calories at breakfast and make it easier to reach your nutrition goal.

Can’t live without your latte in the morning?  A grande size cafe mocha made with 2% milk contains about 260 calories. By ordering the tall size made with skim milk, and you can save around 100 calories. Another tip, always ask for your drinks without whipped cream – it saves you almost half a day’s worth of saturated fat.

Bagels have gotten bigger! A typical bagel with 2 oz of cream cheese adds up to about 530 calories. Instead have only half the bagel, with 1 tbsp of natural peanut butter with a fruit to balance it out, you’ll cut about 115 calories.

When dining out for breakfast be sure to order your toast dry. And if you are having scrambled eggs, ask for no butter and little oil.

These are three simple ways to cut out some extra calories without compromising flavour and volume. Give them a try!

Healthy Eating 101 by Dr. Mike Evans

 

The majority of the time I would recommend seeking out a registered dietitian to be your key source of evidence-based food and nutrition recommendations. However, in this particular situation, I recommend Dr. Mike Evan’s youtube video for an overview of what Healthy Eating is. He presents some very sound nutrition advice that is most definitely worth 20 minutes of your time. He highlights what healthy eating is, what the barriers to healthy eating can be, and gives solid recommendations on how to build habits that will allow you to lead to healthier eating habits.

Check out his video on Youtube!

Is eating insects the new trend?

The concept of eating bugs is slowly gaining more media spotlight in recent years. You may have heard of it being advertised as a sustainable high protein source. But is it really something that will come to Vancouver in the future? And if it does come to Vancouver, would you consider giving it a try?
Read up on Leslie Beck’s recent article to find out more details and decide if this is something for you.

Beyond the usual berries – Acai, Goji and more

Every time I visit the grocery stores, I feel like I see more and more products made with exotic berries as one of the star ingredients.

Now, there are a lot of praise for the potential antioxidant benefits of berries, but what does the research really say?

In Today’s Dietitian, a recent article explores these exotic berries in depth. Be sure to check it out!

Try something new, Vancouver: Oat Bran

Oats or oatmeal receive a lot of love from the media for being a high-fiber, unprocessed whole grain option. However, today I want to introduce you to oat bran. Like oats, it contains a good dose of cholesterol-lowering soluble fiber, and is a rich source of B vitamins. So why choose oat bran over regular oats? The reason is because oat bran contains nearly twice the amount of fiber as regular oats in the same quantity. Thus, to get the most nutrition bang for your buck, go for oat bran!

You can easily prepare oat bran into a hot creamy cereal by preparing the same way you would to regular oats. Top it off with a handful of chopped almonds or walnuts for a boost of omega-3 fats and sprinkle on cinnamon to add some sweetness. Make a big batch of oat bran cereal on the weekend, then portion into individual containers for the busy weekdays to help you start your morning on the right foot everyday.

Ways to Enjoy Soy

As a follow-up to the last blog post on the potential benefits of soy, let’s talk about about some ideas on how to include more of it in our diet.

 

Breakfast:

  • instead of cooking oatmeal in water, cook it in unsweetened soy milk for a calcium boost
  • try making a tofu scramble

 

Lunch/Dinner

  • use firm tofu cubes in place of chicken or other meats in your curries, stews or soups
  • try tofu stir-fries and add an Asian flare to your meals

 

Snacks

  • add silken tofu into your post-workout smoothies for a creamy texture
  • try roasted soy nuts or steamed edamame for a good dose of protein and fiber

Have you tried tofu? What is your favourite recipe?

Question of the Week: Soy

Today’s nutrition topic: soy

Soy beans contain protein, calcium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, magnesium, B Vitamins, omega 3 fatty acids and fibre.

It may be beneficial for promoting healthy heart and healthy bones and may help with menopause. The studies are inconclusive for post menopause but it may be a pro-estrogen so best to reduce the amount. There are no studies that show it causes infertility in men. Overall it is never best to overdo one nutrient so stick with the recommendations.

It is recommended to have three servings of milk and alternatives daily so so no more than three cups of soy milk a day.

Two to three servings of meat and alternatives a day is recommended. Therefore, it is best to have no more than three servings of tofu or soybeans per day.

As long as one is within the recommendations, they are not reaching a upper limit of amount of soy per day. But keep in mind that this is true for any nutrient.

Please email us your nutrition questions and your question might be chosen for our, “Question of the Week”.

Chia – What is it?

Chia is a small seed native to Mexico and Guatemala. It is a good source of fibre and even has some protein and omega-3 benefits. A tip to enjoy chia is in the form of pudding.

 

Here are a few suggestions to get you started…

 

o   Unsweetened vanilla almond milk soaked chia, blended with a banana, some cocoa, dates, and a tablespoon of natural peanut butter.

o   Skim milk soaked chia, topped with cinnamon, nutmeg, and raisins

o   Almond milk soaked chia, topped with nuts (almonds, cashews, pistachios) and fresh blueberries and toasted coconut.

o   Soak overnight one cup of liquid for every three tablespoons of chia seeds in the fridge. In the morning add your favorite tree nuts and fruits.

Registered Dietitian/ Dietitian versus a Nutritionist in Vancouver

What is the difference between a Dietitian and a nutritionist?

A R.D. is a health care professional that can provide extensive knowledge on healthy eating. A registered Dietitian is trained to bring safe and reliable advice on food, diet, and nutrition issues that will benefit individuals.  They provide their services in hospitals, community based settings, health care facilities, foodservice companies, and private practices.

Registered Dietitians are your trusted experts that are well educated.
Educationally, a licensed R.D. requires having both a Bachelor of Science degree in Foods and Nutrition,plus a one-year dietetic internship program or a nutrition master’s degree. Finally, the last step to be granted the title of Registered Dietitians must complete a national registration examination. R.D. are in the same health act as a Doctor and a Nurse.
Law protects all the titles of “Registered Dietitian”, and “Dietitian”. Only those who have met national standards can use these titles. The letters R.D. are the legal designations for qualified Registered Dietitians of Canada. R.D.’s must take ongoing continuing education classes to maintain their license each year.
Additionally, in every province, practicing dietitians are regulated, ensuring that you are receiving safe
and ethical advice. A Registered Dietitian/Dietitian is the best professional consultant for any nutrition issue. Dietitians are also covered by most extended health plans.

A Nutritionist is an unregulated term and is not protected by law. Anybody can call themselves a nutritionist.