Daily Healthy Habits: Nourishment {Part 2 of 4}
Healthy eating is a topic that I feel could and should be summed up in one blog post. The challenge is that with so many varying opinions, there are probably a million or more blog posts on this topic. No wonder it is so confusing for people to decide what is considered healthy and what to eat. I hope to keep things simple.
Remember one of the three statements I stand behind. Health doesn’t need to be complicated. This also applies to how you eat. It’s not difficult to know WHAT to eat, it’s just making the commitment to eat well.
Let’s unpack the absolute basics of human nutrition. Our bodies thrive on a variety of whole foods. Proteins, vegetables, fruits, fats, and occasional grains (that aren’t overly processed). If people were to stick to those categories, they would see a significant increase in their health. The challenge is that many people in North America rely on processed, pre-made, packaged foods that are void or deficient in any nutrient value whatsoever.
Why is this? I think it comes down to the lifestyles we live. When people choose to have lifestyles that are overly scheduled and high in stress, it’s easier to reach for convenience when it comes to meal times. And I get it! We aren’t perfect when it comes to our family’s nutrition either! We occasionally order a pizza or takeout Thai food if we are pressed for time or simply can’t come up with anything exciting in the kitchen. But we make those nights far and few between we know that our food is of vast importance to creating the basis of health.
We need to address putting healthy meals on the table from two angles: understanding what is healthy and creating a weekly ritual that keeps it simple and manageable.
FOOD
As I mentioned above, a diet that is varied in whole foods is key. Proteins, vegetables, fruits, fats and occasional grains. This isn’t about finding a super food or a magic bullet that brings you all the nutrients you want. 80% of people would be healthier if they just stuck to whole, unprocessed foods. Certainly there are foods out there that are superior in nutrient content but this is about starting with the basics.
Proteins
Whether you choose to eat animal or plant-based protein is up to you but it’s important to ensure the quality of whatever you choose to eat is high. I personally believe that human beings are meant to consume exceptional quality animal protein. We get our animal proteins mainly from local sources that are sustainably sourced, organic, and grass-fed. If you are shopping at a regular grocery store, opt for the highest quality of animal protein you can afford. Adding protein into each meal - in whatever form you choose - will help your body thrive.
Fats
Fats are extremely important to our health. Our body thrives on having fat as part of our nutritional choices. Examples are extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, nuts and seeds, avocados, olives, wild & fatty fish, grass fed meats, grass fed butter, and ghee. These are all sources of anti-inflammatory fats versus pro-inflammatory fats like vegetable oils - canola, soy, corn, safflower, etc. Anti-inflammatory fats are higher in Omega 3 fatty acids (good for you) and pro-inflammatory fats are higher in Omega 6 fatty acids (bad for you).
Vegetables
I absolutely love vegetables. They are delicious, they add flavour, are a source of nutrients, and are great for fibre too. Only 10% of adults eat less than the recommended serving of vegetables. And while I don’t “count” my servings….I do aim to eat vegetables with every meal and at least once for a snack per day. Not sure how to do this? Low cook some vegetables alongside eggs for breakfast. Add a healthy handful of spinach into a smoothie. Grab a salad for lunch. Chop up some veggies and dip into guacamole for a snack. Eat 1-2 servings at dinner alongside whatever protein you’re serving.
Vegetables in their raw form are higher in enzymes, which helps with digestion. If you’re cooking veggies, just lightly cook them to boost flavour, texture, and health benefit.
Fruits
Fruits are a great source of vitamins, nutrients, and fibre. So, truth - I’m not a big fruit eater. Probably because where I live in Canada, fresh fruit has it’s seasons and if I’m going to enjoy a strawberry, it won’t be in January. When fruit is in season, I eat more of it. One of my favourite snacks is an apple with almond butter - both fruits + fats in one serving. I find fruit very sweet for the most part - which makes sense as they are sugar in a natural form - and so I am not drawn to them often.
Grains
OK, so this is where I lose the love of so many people. Grains are freakin’ delicious. I love a good piece of bread just like the next person. I think I ate a baguette a day when I was in France a few years ago. What I do know though is that grains are highly over processed and highly over used in North American society. Breakfast often consists of toast, bagels, muffins, and other baked goods. Lunch is a sandwich. Dinner is often half grains (rice, pasta, etc) and never mind the bread bowl before your meal arrives if you’re eating out.
There are a lot of dirty truths behind the popular grains. The truth is that ALL grains break down into sugars. They have a tendency to trigger auto immune issues. They have anti-nutrients in them which don’t allow for absorption of the good nutrients from your diet. They are inflammatory.
There is a lot of research out there you can read about this (I suggest starting with Dr. Mark Hyman as he explains things well). I am not suggesting you eliminate ALL grains but reducing them significantly is a step in the right direction. I personally have a slice of sourdough bread or a small serving of rice. I like seed-based crackers for a little crunch.
A note on Dairy…
Oh dairy, you’re a love/hate relationship for me. My two cents on dairy is that it is again highly over processed and/or highly over-used. Cow milk is meant to be for baby cows, not humans. We have our own milk for the first few years of life and then we are weened off. I don’t believe that dairy has to be, nor should it be, a staple in our diet.
That being said, our family does have cheese, yogurt and higher fat creams (organic is best) in our fridge. We use them for snacks or toppings to food. If you’ve followed me long enough, you know I love cream in my tea. We don’t have regular milk in our fridge though and we opt for making our own almond milk from scratch instead. (friends, we got the Almond Cow before Christmas and it is a game changer!! I have this $10 off promo code if you want to order!!)
Opt for high quality, higher fat dairy sources if you choose to eat dairy.
What to avoid
Sugar. We are STILL a sugar focused society and it is found in EVERYTHING that is processed. Remember too that grains break down into sugars so even if you don’t think you’re sugar obsessed, you may be in the form of grains. Sugar is highly inflammatory and is linked to a number of disease processes - diabetes, cancer, obesity, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and other auto immune diseases. I enjoy a bit of chocolate (in fact, while I acknowledge the benefits of dark chocolate, I prefer milk chocolate and if I choose to have chocolate, it’s going to be the stuff I like!) but again, sugar can be treated as an occasional treat instead of a daily indulgency.
Alcohol. We know the negative health effects of alcohol - impairment, liver damage, pancreas damage, barin communication, cancer, just to name a few. Alcohol also destroys the good bacteria in our gut (see the probiotic paragraph in this blog post). The impairment and health dangers of alcohol aside, the normalization of alcohol for mainstream society is concerning. If you find yourself saying “I need a glass of wine after the day I had”, I would encourage you to look at the stresses in your day rather than looking to alcohol as the answer. I enjoy a glass of wine every now and then but if it’s ever motivated by stress, I try to refocus on doing some yoga or going for a walk to help with my stress.
MINDSET
As I mentioned in the first of the four part series, eating well is a healthy choice. I completely understand and respect the body positive movement and loving on our physical and emotional form wherever they are at. Where I think this concept gets murky is when we detriment our health for the sake of doing what feels good at all times. I believe we still need to honour our bodies by providing what it needs and we can’t ignore the fact that our bodies are meant to eat whole foods, get daily movement, get quality rest, have a clear brain-body connection, etc. I don’t think we need to have guilt associated with what we eat. We’ve simply become conditioned to adding convenience foods, additives, and sugar to everything that we’ve lost the appreciation for the tastes that nature provides. I also don’t think we should work out to make the treats we eat acceptable. We can work out for the health of it. More on movement in part 3…
“But, Dr. Andrea, I just don’t have time to cook a healthy meal every day.”
We are all blessed with the same 24 hours in a day. What we choose to do with those hours is up to us. Health - and eating - does not have to be complicated, take a lot of time, or be expensive. I don’t spend a ton of time in the kitchen, but I do spend focused time. I run my business the same way! Let me share with you how I simplify our meals for the week.
Meal Planning + Prep
Does this sound familiar? “Mom! I’m hungry! What’s for dinner?” Looking at the clock, it’s 6PM and you realize you haven’t defrosted anything to cook. Default to picking up the phone to call for take out OR throwing a pre-packaged meal from the freezer in the oven because it’s easy.
I get it. I do. There are nights this happens to us too.
But those nights happen when I’m not following my plan. This is how our weekly schedule works for meals.
On Friday or Saturday, I use the Plan to Eat website/app to plan out all of our meals for the upcoming week. You can check out that video in this blog post .
I use the generated grocery list from Plan to Eat (based on recipes we chose) to order groceries online.
Sunday morning, I clean out the fridge. I put any unused but still viable vegetables into a pot to make soup. I clear out all of the food that is no longer consumable and clean out the containers they were stored in.
Go to the grocery store to pick up groceries (I discovered the local pick up grocery system a few years back and it is AWESOME! Less time spent in the grocery store AND less impulse buying)
Unpack all groceries. Wash and clean all fruits and veggies (place in clean sink with water + doTERRA Lemon oil to remove residues and clean the produce). Cut up veggies for week’s meals. Cut up all proteins into portions needed for meals, pre-cook what is necessary for lunches.
Each night of the week, re-visit meal plan and defrost overnight in fridge anything in freezer that is needed for next day.
TIPS
Make the crock pot or Instapot your friend. There are a bazillion recipes (literally) for healthy, family-friendly recipes. And leftovers are easy for lunch the next day.
Stick to easy meals for breakfast and lunch. I like either eggs + veggies or a green smoothie for breakfast. Most lunches are either salads (with veggies + proteins pre-cut on Sundays) or soups (pre-made on Sundays).
Get the family involved. Have your kids choose a dinner each week and they can help you prep that meal. It can sometimes slow down the process or create more of a mess BUT the conversations are invaluable. Whomever doesn’t help with meal prep can help with clean-up after.
Stock the pantry and fridge with snacks that are easy to grab and/or make in less than 2 minutes. Nuts, seeds, popcorn, cut veggies + dip, nut butters for spreading on apples, energy balls, (healthy) granola bars, yogurt, seed crackers, etc.
You’re not a short order cook nor a gourmet chef. Stick to one meal. Keep it simple. Be okay with this. :)
I hope that this helps simplify things for you when it comes to what to eat and how to plan your meals for the week. It really does take a commitment on your part to eat better. It’s a choice each and every day for me and my family. We still enjoy our treats. I still enjoy a glass of wine about once a week. We still eat take out occasionally. We have our family favourites. It doesn’t have to be complicated nor does it have to be overwhelming….just take it step by step. Think of reforming your eating habits as a three month goal - if you were to change one thing a week over the next 12 weeks, that would add up to massive shifts in how you support your health in that time.
Questions? I’d love to hear them below.