March is Nutrition Month in Canada and dietitians are teaming up to make a difference.
This year dietitians across the province are promoting the theme to make a change, one meal at a time.
“We’re trying to make things doable and easy by taking things back to our roots in terms of recipes and things that make a difference in our homes,” said Kerry Huber, a registered dietitian working out of the Wetaskiwin Community Health Centre.
Huber focuses on population and public health, meaning she works with public groups and organizations to ensure healthy food choices are being provided to their members.
She said eating healthy has become a challenge with today’s busy lifestyle and the amount the average person eats out rather than dining at home.
One small change a person can make is ensuring they eat a nutritious breakfast.
“Something as simple as boosting your breakfast with fiber and protein can be a really good and simple idea to look at. One recipe that is my favourite is cooked oatmeal with apples and a few nuts, I like my nuts toasted a little bit in the oven, and then I throw some cinnamon and milk on that. Then that’s basically my four food groups all in one bowl,” Huber explained.
When planning out meals, Huber said its good to aim to have four food groups represented and two food groups represented when planning snacks.
According to Huber, diet and nutrition apply to people of all ages.
“We can all make changes that will help with health and preventing certain diseases. It’s thinking about the things we can include in our diet, not thinking about the things we have to omit,” Huber said.
She explained healthy lunches are important for everyone, especially infants and seniors. An easy tool to visualize what a healthy dinner plate looks like can be found at www.healthyeatingstartshere.ca.
For more information about Nutrition Month in Alberta, visit www.ahs.ca/nutritionmonth.
“Small changes at meal times can have really big impacts and good results.”
