Nutrition Secrets

The Caribbean Food Groups Healthy snacking Including vegetables in your diet

Nutrition Secrets Oct-Dec 2015, Issue 1

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Nutrition Secrets Founder, creator, writer, editor:

Candida Khan The information in this magazine is general. It should not be used against or to substitute any health professional’s advice. This magazine is not liable for injury, loss or damage caused by this information.

Extra effort has been made to ensure that information is up to date and accurate.

Oct-Dec 2015, Issue 1

Nutrition Secrets will be published 4 times a year. It will be offered online. Contents are copyright.

Oct-Dec 2015, Issue 1

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Inside this issue: Promoting healthy living through nutrition

Healthy Living

gives a brief background on ways in which you can live healthy

lives………………………………………………………………………………………………..4

Foods in the Caribbean looks at the Caribbean food groups……...……...8 Including Vegetables in your Diet

looks at healthy ways to

incorporate vegetables in your daily eating schedule………………………………..……..12

Healthy Snacking

includes information on how snacking can actually be

healthy…………………………………………………………………………………………...14

Local Foods vs Imported Foods includes a comparison……………16 Boosting Brain Power with Nutrition

includes foods in the

Caribbean that help to improve brain function………………………………………….……18

Fitness discusses the link between exercise, nutrition and health…………………..22 Fun Facts Page …………………………………………………………………….24 Healthy Menu this page gives an example of a healthy menu for one day……26

Through Nutrition...

What is healthy living and how can we achieve healthy living through nutrition?

In the Caribbean, the food that is available is either grown locally or imported from other countries.

To explain healthy living through nutrition, it must be understood that there are foods that can make you healthy and those that put you at risk for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

Did you know that eating too much of anything can be bad for you?

Healthy living can be defined as practicing habits that have a positive impact on your health. It can simply be living in healthy ways.

Nutrition can be defined by the food we eat. Giving our body what it needs to survive. Food is for nourishment.

Healthy living through nutrition uses food to promote a positive impact on your healthy. When you think of nutrition and health, you should not think of diet and restrictions, but a chance to promote healthy growth and a life where your body is free from diseases.

Love yourself enough to give your body the nutrients that are needed to promote good health.

Eat healthy, Stay healthy, Be happy!

Making positive changes in your life can be as easy as you want it to be. As we mature and grow, we tend to follow in the traditions of our households.

Most times, we eat the same and follow the same cooking methods. Some may be healthy, but most of the time, food items are prepared based on their taste NOT health. The aim is to get both taste and health into your cooking.

Healthy living does not have to be complicated. It can be as simple as you want it to be.

Make a positive, healthy change in your life. It’s never too late to start! Do it NOW. Love your body enough to treat it right with nutritious food.

Seeking help from health c can be recomme

What makes up a healthy lifestyle?

There are many factors that affect the health of an individual. The ones that will be focused on are diet and exercise.

Lifestyle changes help to overcome and reduce the effects of conditions that are affected by diet and exercise such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and renal failure. There are many more conditions that can be helped by diet and exercise.

To help maintain a healthy lifestyle, it is important to keep up with your goals and address concerns or issues that arise when making lifestyle changes. Goals can change on a daily basis and are dependant on the changes you want to make.

Exercise and dietary changes are not about restrictions, becoming skinny or just our appearance. These factors contribute to a healthy lifestyle.

It is important that you make changes willingly and are not forced or pushed into it. This will ensure a more profitable outcome.

When it comes down to diet, dietitians can always assist with the necessary advice and dietary counselling.

care professionals ended.

All of the food in the Caribbean are grouped into 6 catego Vegetables and Fats and Oils group.

The aim is to maintain a healthy diet by including foods fro every meal can be beneficial. Even if you do not consume all groups within a day. provide energy that comes from carbohydrates.

Th According to the American Diabetic Association, ch there are complex carbohydrates, refined sugars. the Examples of complex carbohydrate foods include fat potato, corn, ground provision. Examples of refined

F

or fast acting carbohydrates include table sugar, white bread, white rice. These send up sugar levels quickly. Complex carbohydrates are recommended.

The legumes group provides us with protein.

It is also a source of carbohydrates, dietary fibre and traces of minerals.

It c be to

This group provides us w and minerals as well as and carbohydrates.

Examples include oran and watermelon.

Eating a fruit in betwee Foods from this group healthy snack is recomm include red beans, lentils, black eye peas as well as peanuts, almonds, cashew nuts.

ories which include the Staples, Legumes, Food from Animals, Fruits,

om all of the 6 Groups. Adding a variety of foods from each group in foods from all of the groups in one meal, try to consume foods from

FOOD FROM ANIMALS

hese foods include milk, yogurt, cheese, hicken and lamb. Like the legumes group, ey provide protein. They are also a source of t.

can be recommended that red meat, such as eef or lamb, should be limited in the diet due their fat content.

with vitamins s dietary fibre

nge, banana Fats and Oils group provide the nutrient called fat. Foods en meals as a from this group include butter, mended. avocado, canola oil.

It is important to include fats and oils in your diet. Choosing healthy options and exercising portion control is recommended.

Vegetables should be included with every meal.

They provide dietary fibre as well as vitamins and minerals.

E xam ples include lettuce, c a r r o t s , tomatoes, cabbage.

Try to include a variety of colours when b u y i n g vegetables.

Do you like your vegetables? It is very important to include vegetables in your daily diet. This is one food group that should not be ignored. When eating a meal, if it is breakfast, lunch or dinner, think to yourself, “What vegetable can I have with this meal?� It is up to you to start making healthy choices from today.

Benefits of vegetables 1. Dietary Fibre

Have you ever heard of dietary fibre? This is the fibre that comes from plant based foods. It is not digested by the body and is helpful in many ways. Dietary fibre reduces the risk of colon cancer, helps with the movement of food along the digestive system and helps to reduce the absorption of bad cholesterol from food.

2. Vitamins and minerals All vegetables provide different amounts of vitamins and minerals. It is important to include more colourful vegetables on your plate. This can help to provide a wide variety of vitamins and minerals that can help with eye, hair, skin, bone and teeth health.

3. Low calories All vegetables are low in calories. Some vegetables can be cooked when others can be eaten raw. Vegetables such as lettuce, watercress and cucumber are called free vegetables. Their caloric content is so small that it is not counted. When you add vegetables in you diet, you therefore do not add as much calories that can cause uncontrollable weight gain.

4. Weight loss

Due to the high amount of dietary fibre and low amount of calories, vegetables can help with weight control. When you eat vegetables, you feel full longer and therefore unhealthy snacking can be reduced.

Simple ways to include more vegetables in your diet?

1) Blend and drink as a smoothie.

2) Blend into seasoning.

3) Cut up small pieces and include in staple food e.g. rice, carrots and pumpkin.

4) Make sauces with vegetables.

Did you know that snacking can be healthy? First, let us discuss what snacking is. Snacking can be defined as eating or drinking small portions of food in-between your main meals. Your main meals include breakfast, lunch and dinner.

It can be recommended that you should consume 6 small meals for the day.

Benefits of Healthy Snacking: A) Weight control When you include healthy snacking in between your main meals, you tend to avoid extreme hunger. Avoiding hunger will then reduce unhealthy snacking, reduce the portion size of the next meal and help you to not over eat which can lead to weight gain. But having control is important.

Eating small frequent meals or snacks help with satiety. Healthy snacking is one way to help you to avoid eating food you should not Wheat Crackers eat. It can also help with your metabolism and & guacamole Banana, walnut, may even increase it which helps with weight control. cereal

B) Providing vitamins and minerals Healthy snacking will provide more vitamins and minerals in your daily diet. Most times, what you snack on would not be eaten within one of your main meals for example a fruit. Healthy snacking then promotes boosting of your immune system.

C) Boost your mood, brain and energy: Food is a fuel source. It provides us with the energy that we need to do our daily activities. Nutrient poor snacks such as candies and sugary drinks spike blood sugars quickly and that fast spike of sugar is followed by a crash that leaves you wanting more sugar, cranky and unable to concentrate.

Watermelon Healthy snacks are slow burning fuel that help to Smoothie provide steady energy throughout the day. Certain snacks like walnuts help to boost brain function.

Fruits can help in providing energy and lifting your mood.

Examples of healthy snacks: 1) Watermelon smoothie 2) Oat bran cereal with low fat milk 3) Low fat yogurt and granola 4) Whole wheat crackers and guacamole

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What does it mean to be fit? How does fitness, exercise and diet link?

What are the healthy benefits of being fit?

Fitness is a term used to describe the state of being physically fit and healthy.

Good health and a good physical condition comes from practicing proper nutrition and exercise.

Exercise should be a part of your daily routine. It is important to maintain an active lifestyle. This will help to keep your body, mind and spirit going.

Diet and exercise go hand in hand. Scientific research has found a link between regular physical activity, nutrition and diseases.

In order to achieve health and wellness, the barriers that prevent persons from healthy eating and physical activity need to be addressed.

Misconceptions about certain foods, preparation methods such as frying are high.

Is it really healthy to eat everything in moderation? Why? It can be recommended to exercise for at least 20 minutes every day.

Exercise is anything extra that you do during the day for example: walking your dog, running, skipping rope, dance, aerobics.

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When looking at food from animals group, lean pieces of meat are recommended.

This includes the piece of meat that has less fat for example the breast of the chicken.

Did you know that one serving of meat is 1 ounce, which is a matchbox size.

Include high in d benefit is increase. full and s

Foods in th different to tho aro A fun fact is that 1 serving of lentils or any legume is 1/2 cup which is roughly 1 pot spoon. This does not mean that we are restricted to just 1 pot spoon of lentils.

foods that are dietary fibre. The s that satiety will . You will feel satisfied.

he Caribbean are ose in other countries ound the world.

Did you know that one serving of bread is 1 slice?

This does not mean that we are restricted to 1 slice of bread.

There are different types of fat which include: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fats. Healthy fats include the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats.

The unhealthy fats include the saturated fats.

According to the American Heart Association, the saturated fats increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. Examples of saturated fats include: butter, margarine and, bacon.

Breakfast: Whole wheat bread Sunny Side Egg

Salad e.g. lettuce, carrots, onion Herbal tea Snack: Fruit e.g. Orange

Lunch: Baked potato Stew chicken Kidney beans Fresh salad e.g. Cucumber Snack: Fruit e.g. Banana

Dinner: Whole wheat pizza (toppings include chicken strips, onion, tomato, pineapple) Snack: Whole wheat crackers with avocado

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