The Right Nutritional Path

STEPPING INTO THE NEW YEAR ON THE RIGHT NUTRITIONAL PATH

This blog is not about dieting but rather focused on giving insight on how to easily incorporate better nutrition into your lifestyle that will likely help you feel better and reduce your chance of developing certain chronic illness such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Nutrition is the backbone to your health so it’s worth putting some thought and energy into what and how much you eat.

What foods to eat:

Protein: includes plant based proteins such as nuts/seeds, lentils/beans/tofu. This also includes animal proteins such as dairy, eggs, lean meat (turkey, chicken, fish) and red meat (beef, pork, lamb).

Aim to have protein with each of your meals and have it a goal to eat more plant based protein, then leaner type animal protein. Unless you are anemic, keep your red meat consumption to less than a serving or so a week.

Carbohydrates: Grains, pastas, flours, breads, sugars, and starches

If you have a goal to lower your weight then lower the intake of your carbohydrates. People who want to lower their weight or who may be more  sedentary likely need only one serving of carbohydrate a day. For example, if you have oatmeal breakfast, aim to have the rest of your meals on that day focused on protein and veggies and some fruit.

If you are an athlete burning lots of calories or if you are wanting to increase your weight have a serving of carbohydrates with most of your meals. Carbohydrates are loaded with calories and work great to help keep weight on.

Vegetables/Fruit: Aim to have as many veggies as you can in the day. Most people do best consuming more veggies than fruit as fruit is higher in sugar. For most people there should be no limit on your veggie intake in the day.

The Amount of Food To Eat:

The vast majority of people in Canada eat for too much. Being mindful of how much you eat, independent of what you are eating is also a wonderful way to help optimize your health.

Always aim to eat slow. It takes about 10 minutes for the brain to register how full your stomach is. If you eat fast you are at a higher risk of over eating.

Eat slow and if you are no longer hungry then stop eating. Avoid the sensation of feeling full. Overtime your digestive tract will adapt to being comfortable eating less per meal, reducing your overall daily calories.

Aim to have a 12-14 hour fast on most nights of the week. Although not suitable for all people, learning how to stop eating after dinner and avoid evening snacking can be really helpful. You can have water and herbal tea during your fasting hours but certainly no alcohol.

Have fun with these nutritional tips. Don’t feel like you need to change your diet all at once. Making gradual changes over time might be the best path for you.

To keep the discussion going, please give us a call 604-888-8325.

Dr. Erin Rurak, ND