Busting Some Big Fat Myths
Most clients I work with have an uneasy relationship with fat. It’s no wonder. In my 23 years of nutrition experience, I’ve seen the pendulum swing from one extreme to the other regarding fat. I was in University training to become a dietitian during the fat-phobic years. Back when everyone ”knew” that fat was bad for you. To be healthy, you needed to eat a low-fat diet. Pasta and bagels were the king and queen. Practically every parent fed their babies yams and rice cereal as their first foods. Contrast that to the present where my social media streams are full of avocado recipes...
Read MoreA question from mother
Why do I still need to eat healthy? When you have an elderly parent, encouraging healthy eating may seem a bit condescending. After all, she is over 85 years old, and must have been doing something right all this time? Why shouldn’t she just eat what she wants, or skip a meal when not feeling hungry? In fact, elderly seniors need more nutrients at a time that they need less calories. So, every bite counts. Proteins are important to maintain lean muscles to keep your strength, balance, and ability to walk. Losing lean muscle mass increases risk for a fall. The current recommendation for...
Read MorePreserving the Harvest
There’s a resurgence in preserving foods right now and there are many ways of doing this. It ranges from basic storage for winter squash and root crops such as onions and potatoes, to freezing, canning, dehydrating, pickling and fermenting. I often take an ingredient and put it by using several techniques; for example I dehydrate plums for compotes and snacking, and make plum jam, as well as freezing them for winter desserts. The freezer presents the least time consuming method of food preservation. Food rotation is important, because the maximum storage time for quality frozen fruit...
Read MoreWhat’s the Best Time to Eat?
Eating healthfully involves more than what you choose to eat. It also includes when you choose to eat. Because even if you choose the right things, eating them at the wrong time can set you up for cravings that will drive you to eat things you will be upset at yourself for eating. Determining when to eat doesn’t involve memorizing times on the clock that are universal rules for everyone. In other words, there is no “best time” to eat. Here’s how to create a plan to eat at the right times that’s unique to you. Eat Within 1 Hour Of Waking Up While I don’t agree that breakfast is...
Read MoreShould I Take a Multivitamin?
One of the most common questions that I’m asked as a registered dietitian is “should I take a multivitamin?” Here’s what I think about multivitamins for women. First I need to tell you that when it comes to nutrition, one size doesn’t fit all. We each have different nutrition needs – based on our sex, age, physical activity, health concerns, etc. And, our eating habits vary widely. That’s why when I work with clients, the first thing I do is a nutrition assessment of you. It’s from the results of my nutrition assessment that I create your individual action plan. So, without...
Read MoreThere’s A Frog In My Fridge!
We used to offer farm stays to foreign travellers when we owned an acreage in Victoria; many people from around the world stayed with us over the years. I’ll never forget the day I opened the fridge to find a large taped brown box inside. Upon enquiring as to what this was, a young man from California sheepishly informed me that there was a frog in the box. At first I merely laughed him off, responding that he could “pull the other leg as it had bells on it”. “Ask your husband. He told me to do it!” he replied. Upon further enquiry my husband told me that Dustin had found an...
Read MoreFrom Nursing To Farming.
Cedar Valley Poultry Farm was envisioned while I was taking my LPN coursethrough Malaspina University in 2004. By 2005 I registered my Farm business and received a business loan through Farm Credit Canada. My business life was underway, our farm was diversifying and BC Chicken Marketing Board had given our farm a permit to grow Chicken Meat. I left the working world to spend all my time developing our farm Business. My husband was working three part time jobs, which allowed this to happen. My husband and I have been active in Farmers Markets for the past 21 years. Members of the Cedar...
Read MoreStay Hydrated This Summer
How Much Water Do I Need? You’ve likely heard the common adviceof drinking 8 glassesof water a day. But is that really how much water you need? The fluid recommendations are 2.7 Litres of total fluid per day for women. This is for us women who are between 19 – 70 years old who aren’t intense athletes, living in 30 degree C or hotter weather, or pregnant/ breastfeeding. (Men need 3.7 Litres of total fluids). You may have noticed that I used the term “fluid”, not “water” in the last paragraph. That’s because the recommendation is for total fluids – including everything you...
Read MoreMalnutrition, double trouble.
Malnutrition in the community may not be always visible. Yet, it is a big problem: one out of two people admitted to hospital are in a malnourished state. People who have a chronic disease and are older than 65, are especially at risk for malnutrition. This is because when you suffer from a chronic disease and it is getting worse, you are not feeling well, and not feeling inspired to cook. You may have physical limitations curbing your ability to prepare a good meal. It is troublesome when you have difficulty cooking meals. But when you have a chronic disease, it means double trouble: your...
Read MoreWhat is the Right Breakfast?
I don’t believe in the old saying “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”. It may not be the most important meal. But it certainly is an important one. Starting off with the right breakfast raises your blood sugar gradually and keeps you full for hours. It’s like armor protecting you from the tempting, junky foods that surround us all day. The great news is that there isn’t just one perfect breakfast. Many foods can make up the “right” breakfast. Here are the 4 important characteristics of the “right” breakfast (and some food ideas): Produce. I highly doubt that...
Read MoreAn ongoing daily challenge
Is mealtime a struggle for you and your loved one with dementia? Anger, frustration, or refusing foods are signs that your loved one may be overwhelmed. There are several reasons your loved one may not enjoy mealtime anymore. The amount of food in front of them, background noises, distracting design patterns on the serving plate, or even the use of utensils may add to the confusion. Here are a few tips to help. Remove distractions. Turn of the TV and phones. Use a plain but colored plate; blue and red work well. The contrast between the plate color and the food makes is easier to see what...
Read MoreCheat Days
“Cheat days” are everywhere in the health and nutrition information world. However, I’m completely against cheat days. Let me repeat that because I feel so strongly about it. Completely. Against. Cheat days. Cheat days set us up to have a negative relationship with food. I’ve found that the secret to achieving, and keeping, your happy weight is to first create a healthy relationship with food. Then the weight loss will follow. Cheat days take you further away from your goal of a healthy weight and feeling happy about your body. First, let’s look at the term ‘cheat days’....
Read MoreRockin’ Risotto.
Nick Misura returned to his native Cowichan Valley a few years ago with a goal of settling down and enjoying his retirement. However, Nick’s love of cooking, good food and a restlessness to do something fun and creative soon took over. Rockin’ Risotto was born in 2015 and Nick has been converting customers to this delicious side-dish ever since! The idea to make packaged risotto came from Nick’s wife, an active member of the Duncan Farmers’ Market’s board of directors. Together, they started testing and tasting different ingredient mixes to come up with recipes which would later...
Read MorehOMe Grown Living Foods
Not many people can say they have successfully built their company by putting lifestyle before profit. However Shani Cranston and Willy McBride, of hOMe Grown Living Foods, are an example of a local business that has managed to balance their entrepreneurial spirits with a deep reverence for Mother Nature. “Nourishing people is our passion, and living a balanced life is one of our core values,” explains Shani, Chief Formulator for hOMe Grown. It is truly impressive how much Shani is invested in her work. She started producing her delicious and healthy snacks over eight years ago after...
Read MoreKeep Super Computer Humming
It’s a fact that as you get older bodily functions slow down and parts don’t work as well as they once did. As I approach my ‘golden years’ I want to make sure that the years ahead are indeed golden, so I recently signed up for a one year diploma at the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition in Nanaimo. I support their credo that the body is qualified to heal itself with a healthy whole foods diet and good lifestyle choices and I want to find out more. The 80:20 ratio of healthy to not that healthy works best for me. Fanaticism is no fun. It is recommended to limit intake of...
Read MoreOde to John Hellum.
John Hellum was larger than life in every possible way, physically, mentally and gastronomically. Unfortunately for us John has died and has left us poor mortals for that ultimate kitchen in the sky. The patrons there will soon learn to recognise and love the man in the hat just as we did. Fortunately as long as there is one person here that knew him, John will live on. His swagger, his story telling ability, his incredible knowledge base on all things, his kind and gentle heart and his rapier like wit will never leave us. Fortunately we can also still experience the essence of John...
Read More