March is National Nutrition Month. Eating nutritious food keeps our bodies strong and healthy, especially during the winter months when cold, flu and other illnesses seem to be more prevalent. Here are some tips on ways to eat healthy every day from our friends at Oak Valley Health.
Five Tips to a Healthy Diet
- Meal planning
- Plan your meals before going to the grocery store and make a grocery list of all the things that you need for the week.
- Incorporate your family’s favorite foods
- Stay hydrated
- Aim for no less than eight glasses of water every day
- If you don’t like water, add lemon slices, cucumbers, fresh berries or other flavoring to your water. Juice, smoothies, milk, and other sugar free/low sugar drinks can be excellent alternatives .
- Eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day
- Keep fresh fruits and vegetables on hand for snacks (in season produce from locals)
- Incorporate fruits and vegetables into meals like salads, stews and stir fries.
- Eat a vegetable at every meal. Cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes are great grab and go veggies.
- Incorporate lean protein into every meal and snack
- Use egg whites with omelets and scrambled egg dishes to cut down on fat and cholesterol
- Choose ground turkey, or chicken
- Or choose vegetarian alternatives such as lentils, beans, almonds and quinoa just to name a few.
- Have healthy snacks on hand
- Apples with nut butter or cheese, nuts, fruits and veggies, cottage cheese and edamame are great snacks that keep you filled up longer.
Markham Public Library and Oak Valley Health Library ( located on the upper level of the Cornell Library) have many resources to help sustain a healthy diet, make better informed food choices, motivate you to develop a healthier lifestyle and maybe even inspire you to try some new flavours. Here are some books to get you started.
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