My Online Dietitian
General Delivery A0N1N0 Whitby, ON, Canada

Family meals, whats all the hype about? Why are family meals so important, that even the new food guide is encouraging it? There is some really good research that shows that the more family meals you have per week, the more likely you are to eat healthy food, the less likely you are to eat unhealthy food or skip meals and less likely to be overweight. Families that eat together more than 3 times per week had children that were less likely to engage in disordered eating, did... better in school (had higher averages) and were less likely to try/use drugs or alcohol. So how do we make family meals happen more, with our busy schedules? Its not easy but we know that each time we sit down together, our kids reap the benefits so its worth trying to increase those family meals. Meal planning can free up time during the supper rush when you know what to cook and that you have all the ingredients on hand (there are tons of apps or printables available with a quick search). Online shopping/ scheduled pick up is a great time saver for families struggling to find time to grocery shop. Meal prep done the night before or on the weekends can free enough time for families to sit down together during the week. Slowcooker meals, freezer meals, instant pot or sheet pan meals are all popular with time crunched families and there are endless webpages and pins dedicated to these recipes. Reducing distractions such as cell phones at the table or watching tv tend to reduce the family meal benefits so its important to talk to each other. There are conversation starters that can be found online for those difficult teen years if you find your family struggling with the silence. Just remember that any increase in family meals are beneficial. One adult still counts and so does breakfast. Some families find it helpful to schedule them in, just like activities so that kids know they need to be home on a certain day for that family meal. If you are still feeling stuck for inspiration,check out the link below for some freezer meal recipes. https://www.dinneratthezoo.com/freezer-meal-recipes/

Have you seen the new Canada's Food Guide? Newly released it looks quite different than the previous rainbow. The new guide is visual and shaped as a plate, something everyone can relate to. It focuses more on fruits and vegetables and less on grains and animal protein sources and promotes water to drink over juice or milk. So what does all this mean? How do you use this new guide? Well to follow the guide, all you have to do each meal, is fill your plate with 1/2 fruit/veget...ables, 1/4 whole grains and 1/4 protein source (meat,beans,lentils, egg, tofu,nuts etc..) and drink water with your meal. The new guide is encouraging you to cook more often, eat together as a family, limit foods high in saturated fat, sodium, sugar, read food labels and be more mindful of your eating habits (emotional eating, mindless eating, and other eating habits). Following these recommendations will ensure a healthier diet for you and your family. As always if you have nutrition or diet questions please book an appointment with your local dietitian, for clarification and nutrition expertise. For more information on Canada's Food Guide check out the link below. https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/

Is coconut oil a super food or pure poison as a recent Harvard researcher claimed? In fact, it is neither. Coconut oil is just fat. Not good or bad. Very few foods are actually bad and most can be worked into a healthy diet if balanced. Enjoy coconut oil? Great, add to cooking in moderation but keep the majority of your oils unsaturated (e.g. olive oil) to maintain a healthy balance. Read the link below to debunk the myths in detail about coconut oil.

Low FODMAP diets are controversial due to their limited fiber and often suggested for patients with IBS. A new study has now shown Yoga to be just as effective as a Low FODMAP diet even when the yoga client didn’t change their diet at all. After 12 weeks 82% had reported improvement in their IBS symptoms. This is good news for people with IBS, definitely time to roll out that yoga mat and give it a try.

For those of you who are regular uses of protein powders, something to consider. Vegan and vanilla flavor fared worst, due to the fact they are more plant based and the plants absorbed toxins from the soil verses a whey based product.

If I told you there was a diet that can help you lose weight, reduce your risk of heart disease, lower your LDL (the bad one) cholesterol, reduce you chance of getting of cancer (including breast cancer), lower your risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and is supported by research and almost every type of health professional, would you be interested in trying it? And you can have wine everyday (1 glass). Yes wine, that’s not a typo. No crazy fads, just wholesome food. The Me...diterranean diet has been around for a long time and research continues to show many health benefits. This diet includes traditional foods from the Mediterranean region, originally based in the 1960. On this diet you’d eat mostly plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. Replace other fats/oils with olive oil. Eat primarily fish and chicken at least two times a week, along with cheese and yogurt and limit red meat to twice a month. Use herbs and spices to flavor food instead of salt, eat family meals, plenty of exercise along with a glass of red wine a day (if you don’t have problems with consumption). The glass of wine is optional. To be successful and get all the health benefits this diet can provide, you’d avoid, sugar sweetened beverages, fruit juices, processed foods and meats, anything pre -packaged/processed. If you think this is something you’d like to try and check out a few meal plans, click on the link below. https://www.healthline.com/nu/mediterranean-diet-meal-plan See more

What’s all the fuss about Baby led weaning? It’s one of the buzz words these days when it comes to infant feeding. It’s an alternative to spoon feeding purees and a natural safe way for babies to learn how to eat. Starting at 6 months (or adjusted for preemie’s) you can begin to offer soft, easy to chew, foods. The key is baby feeds self/puts food into their own mouth. Babies who learn to eat this way verses mom feeding purees, accept a wider variety of foods, may be less pic...ky eaters, and help learn to have a healthy relationship with food. Baby lead weaning promotes self paced feeding, skill development, reduces childhood obesity, helps avoid nutrient gaps, promotes family meals, is easy, cheaper, offers allergy protection, and does NOT increase the risk of choking. It is recommended that all parents take an infant CPR course, just prior to starting to feed their infant, so caregivers will know the difference between gagging and choking. As infants are just trying food this early in life, and their main source of energy still comes from breastmilk or formula this is a good time to introduce them to a variety of foods and textures (pureed included in things like yogurt or pudding). If you’d like to know more about baby led weaning, click the link to Katie Ferraro’s website, dietitian, mother of 5 and baby led weaning expert.https://www.fortifiedfam.com/babyled-weaning-about/ See more

Wishing you a happy and healthy new year.

Here’s a easy recipe to help try in the new year. Serve with roasted potatoes or wild rice.

A interesting read for those of you who enjoy starfruit.

In case you missed it: Various brands of vegetable products recalled due to Listeria monocytogenes. http://ow.ly/XyKX30g1pnY

Is Himalayan sea salt good for you? Seems that pretty pink color is actually caused by contaminates. And some of those 84 nutrients, aka contaminates, are definitely not required by the body and even include (all be it very small trace amounts) of radioactive elements (def not so good). Let's not forget to mention those "studies" they keep bringing up, are not peer reviewed or published in a reputable journal. I think it's safe to say, save your money and go with the regular sea salt versus the Himalayan sea salt. Read more about it here. https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/pink-himalayan-sea-salt-a/

Happy Valentines Day.

Do you think children should be exposed to unhealthy food advertisements? A self regulated industry is just not working. The number of unhealthy food ads children are seeing, is increasing and this affects their food choices and what they beg parents to buy. With childhood obesity continuing to rise maybe reducing these negative advertisements could help reduce this.