At this time of year, a lot of people are trying to eat healthier. It’s a trend associated with the turnover to January and a great way to kick off the new year.
More fruits and vegetables, less sugar and a limitation on junk food. But unless you’re a nutritionist or dietitian – or have visited one recently – making changes to the way you eat can only go so far. Luckily, there are some professionals out there who know a thing about what to eat and when.
It’s been said before, but it’s true: breakfast in the most important meal of the day. It can also be the hardest one to pull off correctly. Whether you work early or have the job of getting the kids out the door in the morning, there just never seems to be enough time. But it’s important to make it, according to Tiffany Calcutt, owner of Harvest Nutrition & Wellness in Peterborough.
“A bagel and cream cheese doesn’t get you set up for the day,” Calcutt said.
The key to a successful breakfast is protein. While eggs are a great source of it and paired with whole wheat toast is a great option, there are other ways to get what you need and still eat the foods you enjoy. Consider Greek yogurt and whole grain cereal. How about a whole wheat English muffin with some nut butter and a glass of milk.
“It can even be the leftovers from last night’s dinner,” Calcutt said.
Smoothies are another quick way to get what you need by mixing together some Greek yogurt and berries – with fruit being the other component you want to incorporate into your breakfast plans.
Kaitlyn McCarthy, a clinical nutrition manager at Monadnock Community Hospital, said she’s met with a number of people who just like to eat breakfast, which is a meal that most people who practice intermittent fasting typically skip.
“But if you’re someone who likes breakfast, it’s something that really jump starts your day,” McCarthy said.
She said adding cauliflower rice to your eggs is a way to add some veggies to the first meal of the day.
Ask any one in the nutrition field and they’ll tell you the importance of not only three meals a day, but a few snacks mixed in. One of those snacks should fall in the mid-morning time frame with a focus on protein and carbohydrates. Cheese and crackers, nuts and a banana are good options, but remember it’s just supposed to be a snack so keep the portions in mind.
McCarthy said that a lot of people don’t see the possibilities for snacks.
“It can be really anything,” she said. “And it can be a way to get more fruits and vegetables in your diet.”
Christin Saucier, owner of Monadnock Nutrition Services in Peterborough, said that while everybody is different and require, she knows the importance of listening to your body.
“Our body is designed to need glucose and glycogen every three to four hours,” she said. “So if you don't have a snack, you’ll go into that next meal overly hungry. Rely on your body’s internal signals on what you’re craving and when you’re hungry.”
With limited time, lunch can be a hard meal to stay on track with. It’s easy to grab a slice of pizza, a hot dog or chicken tenders on your break, but Calcutt offers a different solution to the time crunch: have leftovers in the fridge to take to the office.
Calcutt said a good way to make sure there are hearty leftovers to take is to batch cook on the weekends or when preparing for dinner. It also works for breakfast if you want to make a big pot of steel cut oats.
“When you’re making meals for a family of three, make six portions so you have leftovers,” she said.
McCarthy knows that people struggle with eating healthy on the go, but has noticed a big switchover to the way eating establishments offer quick options.
“People are demanding that and demand increases supply,” McCarthy said.
Saucier said that adding a dietary fat like olive oil, avocado, cheese, salad dressing or mayonnaise has a positive affective on all your hormones.
“It has a bad rap because it’s known to be this high calorie thing in a small amount,” she said. “But it’s so important.”
Another helpful tip. “Put a bag of frozen vegetables in the refrigerator at work so you’ll always know you can have a well-rounded meal,” Calcutt said.
With an expected total of nine servings or fruits and vegetables per day, which equates to 1 ½ to 2 cups of fruit and 3 cups of vegetables, they just need to be included in every meal and snack.
“It doesn’t matter when you eat your fruits and vegetables,” Calcutt said.
Lunch doesn’t have to be a portion of a previous meal, but can rather be something like cottage, cheese, crackers and nut butter and fruit.
“You’ll cover all the bases with that,” Calcutt said.
It comes down to thinking about what you’re eating and if you’ve covered all the requirements for the four major food groups. By the time the afternoon snack rolls around, knowing what you’ve had and what you need should play a part in your decision as to what carbs, proteins and fruits/vegetables should be eaten.
If yogurt wasn’t part of the breakfast lineup, consider it for a post-lunch snack, along with cheese and crackers. McCarthy said for those on the run in the afternoon, a kefir drink, cultured, fermented beverage that tastes like a yogurt drink can be a good snack option.
And there’s one important thing to remember.
“What’s right for somebody who’s an active person might not be right for somebody who’s sedentary and doesn’t exercise,” Calcutt said.
Dinner should be on the lighter side and once again include proteins, carbohydrates and vegetables.
McCarthy said one good trick to getting more vegetables into dinner is using spiral zucchini noodles instead of pasta.
“That’s a half plate of vegetables for dinner,” she said.
But the food isn’t the key ingredient to the day’s final meal.
“One of the most important things is sitting down as a family for dinner,” Calcutt said.
For McCarthy, she doesn’t like when people associate eating with health.
“You don’t want to label foods good and bad,” she said.
Saucier is a big proponent of fun foods, like chips with a sandwich because “chips are a normal thing to have with a sandwich.”
“I like to mix in fun foods with every meal,” she said.
That can be a piece of chocolate after lunch or cookie following dinner.
“When you teach people how to listen to their bodies, it opens up a flexibility with foods,” Saucier said. “You can only make those informed decisions if you don’t have the guilt, anxiety or rules around food.”
Long gone in the food pyramid from yesteryear, which has been replaced with more of a complete plate approach: half fruits and vegetables, a quarter whole grain or starch and a quarter protein.
There’s a lot of options out there when it comes to food, so just be conscious of what your meals and snacks consist of – and don’t forget to add in a little fun.
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