Healthy eating at home is easier than you think

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      Everyone knows that a wholesome diet is a cornerstone of healthy living, but pulling it off regularly can be tough. When life’s busy, time is tight, and people are tired, cooking a delicious, nutritious meal at the end of the day seems like a tall order.

      But it doesn’t have to be complicated. And preparing good food in your own kitchen is one of the best ways to curb weight gain and obesity. The stats on that front are troubling: nearly 60 percent of Canadian adults and 26 percent of children and adolescents are overweight or obese, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

      Making healthy food at home begins at the supermarket, says Hilit Nurick, founder of the Dizzy Whisk, which offers kids’ cooking classes. “Anything that is preprepared and -packaged already has a disadvantage of being out of one’s control,” she says. “You don’t know what’s in it unless you yourself put it there.

      “Choose ingredients rather than packaged food with multi-ingredients,” she adds. “A delicious dish doesn’t need to comprise of more than three to four ingredients. Always read the label and make sure that you understand what is in your food. The idea is, if you can’t pronounce it and you are not sure what it is, it probably isn’t good for you. Shop for fresh food, fresh herbs and spices, rather than artificial flavours.”

      Ann Marie Rideout, founder of Well Fed—a North Vancouver food studio that offers cooking classes, meal-assembly classes, and meals to go—says that common stumbling blocks people face when it comes to cooking healthy meals at home include overthinking things and following trendy diets that exclude food and are too restrictive.

      “These diets play havoc on your metabolism and your overall health,” Rideout tells the Straight. “Plus they are too hard to stick to in the long term. Healthy eating should be simple and consistent.”

      Rideout is a fan of the 80/20 rule: “If you eat whole healthy foods in the right amount 80 percent of the time, you can still enjoy more decadent foods 20 percent of the time.”

      To help make healthy eating simple, she suggests creating a menu plan for the week ahead of time—and sticking to it: “It will not only help to reduce overeating, it will also save you time and money in the long run.”

      Cut up veggies and fruit ahead of time and generally look for ways to include more nutrients in your diet, Rideout adds. “Typical North American diets are too high calorically and too low in overall nutrients. Always serve different-coloured fruit and veggies prior to the meal. Fill up on nutrient-dense foods when you are hungry. A side benefit is most fruits and vegetables are also high in fibre. Make it fun—bring home a new type of vegetable or fruit each week from the grocery store.”

      Dietitian Jessica Carter says there are simple ways to flavour food to taste like you’re eating out.

      Nutritious, home-cooked meals don’t have to be boring, says Jessica Carter, registered dietitian at Dani Health. She recommends theme nights if you have trouble coming up with ideas: Mexican Mondays (with fajitas, enchiladas, or rice and beans, for example), Italian Fridays, slow-cooker Sundays, and so on.

      “It’ll help you keep on track and avoid eating out when you already have a plan,” Carter says. She notes too that learning how to flavour foods at home can make it feel like you’re eating out. This will help you avoid resorting to takeout, which will save you money—as well as fat, sugar, and sodium.

      Carter says to make a dish taste Mexican, use cumin (1 tsp), chili pepper (1 tsp), cayenne (1/4 tsp), and a pinch of salt and pepper.

      To make any dish taste Asian, she says to combine soy or gluten-free tamari (1 Tbsp), sesame oil (1 tsp), rice wine vinegar (1 tsp), garlic (one or two cloves or 1 tsp powdered), ginger (1/2 tsp fresh or powdered), and honey (1 Tbsp). Optional ingredients include a dash of sriracha, lime juice, peanut butter (for a great satay sauce), and fish sauce.

      And for Greek flavour, Carter suggests adding juice from half a lemon, oregano (1 tsp), thyme (1 tsp), basil (1 tsp), dill (1/2 tsp), and salt and pepper. Et voilà.

      Other tips? Eat without distraction. “If you put in effort to shop, prep, and cook, do the meal justice and savour it without a TV, computer, or phone stealing away your attention,” Carter says. “You’ll likely eat slower, which gives our bodies time to feel full. This helps us avoid going for seconds when we really aren’t still hungry.”

      Watch portion sizes. To make it easy, use a cup measure to help control this at home, Rideout says.

      “A general example of a balanced meal would be two cups of veggies and/or fruit, one cup of complex carbohydrates such as rice, yams, or potatoes, and 3/4 cup of lean protein. Keep in mind that serving sizes when eating out and at the grocery store are typically too large.”

      Drink only water with meals and avoid juice and sugary drinks throughout the day, she adds: “Each cup—only 250 mL—of juice or pop is approximately 150 calories. It adds up fast.”

      Snacking does have its place. “Maintaining a relatively consistent blood sugar level is important, so eating small amounts more frequently—two to three times per day—is a great tactic,” Rideout says. “Purchase easy, healthy snack items like hummus, tzatziki, frozen fruit, or yogurt so they’re on hand and accessible.”

      If you have children, get them in the habit of healthy eating and cooking early on.

      “My best advice is to start where you are with what you like or love, talk about this with your family, and let them also share what they love,” says Barb McMahon, founder of Sprouting Chefs, a nonprofit that fosters the development of school garden programs. “If it’s mac ’n’ cheese, try making it from scratch with your kids. Get them to grate the cheese with you, mix the sauce, and teach them how to boil pasta—all basics when it comes to learning what to make in the kitchen. And instead of burying the veggies in the sauce, cut them up raw and serve them fresh on the side. Try some new veggies that your kids pick out.”

      And give yourself a break if you don’t manage to eat as healthily as you’d like all the time.

      “Don’t give up if you fall off a bit along the way,” McMahon says. “Have compassion for yourself and your family for trying something new, because at least you are trying.”

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