How to Think About Healthy Eating

How to Think About Healthy Eating

If the arrival of summer finds you brimming with motivation to lead a healthier, happier life, great! But with so much information and advice out there, where do you start?

First things first – ditch the diet. Throw out the whole concept of dieting and other health fads and get ready to build healthy habits for life with an entirely new approach to healthy eating.

Start AfreshStart Afresh

If you, like many people, have gotten stuck in a pattern of yo-yo dieting, dropping and gaining weight over and over again, it’s time to take a step back and start afresh.

The best way to approach healthy eating is to think about how to best fuel your body for life, not just for today. No more three-week diet plans with cheat days. No more ten-day detox diets that leave you hungry and cranky. Instead, it’s time to adopt consistent, healthful practices that are smart, achievable, realistic, and sustainable.

What this looks like in practice will depend on your individual circumstances, including finances, current health status, family obligations, your schedule, and other factors. To help get you started, here are five strategies for lifelong healthy eating:

1. Clear out Your Cupboards

Clear out your cupboards and freezer of anything that you wouldn’t consider healthful. Box it up and take it to the food bank, or give it to family, friends, and neighbors.

So, what are you getting rid of? Cookies, chips, candy, bacon, white rice, canned fruit in syrup, and other high sugar, high saturated fat, and nutrient-poor foods.

2. Stock up on Staple Foods

There’s nothing better than a pantry packed with healthy foods to pull from when you’re making meals at home. A healthy pantry should include:

  • Whole grains (quinoa, brown rice, barley, oats)
  • Dried beans and lentils
  • Low-sodium or unsalted crushed tomatoes in non-BPA cans
  • Condiments like nutritional yeast and soy sauce
  • Herbs and spices to flavor food and add nutrients

Stock up your freezer with frozen fresh fruits and vegetables, with no syrups, sugar, or salt added. This way, you’ll have everything you need on have to pull together a simple, tasty, and nutritious meal or snack.

Make Healthy Meals in Bulk3. Make Healthy Meals in Bulk

If you have more time to cook on the weekends then do the bulk of your food preparation and cooking then. Things like veggie chilli, a Thai green curry with fresh vegetables, and a barley, vegetable and lentil soup can be quickly warmed up and served with brown rice or quinoa when you get home from work.

Leftovers make for easy, healthy lunches too! And, you can save time by chopping vegetables on the weekend and storing them in individual containers. Then you’ll have a batch of healthy on-the-go snacks ready for work and after-school activities.

4. Engage Family and Friends

If you work better when you’re accountable to others, announce your intention to eat a consistently healthy diet to your friends, family, and colleagues. Once you tell them that you’ll be eating a delicious and nutritious salad at work every day, rather than grazing on cookies and expensive sandwiches. They will likely notice (and comment!) if they don’t see you eating that salad.

The same goes for making dinners at home. Make healthy your new normal. Soon, your spouse, kids, friends, or other dinnertime companions will come to expect and enjoy a nutritious meal.

5. Harness the Power of Habit and Identity

By taking steps to establish a routine of eating a whole food diet that includes fresh vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, pulses and legumes, there will be little need to avoid daily temptation.

Research shows that a strong sense of identity is incredibly helpful in staying motivated to consistently engage in behaviors associated with that identity. Being a healthy eater is like being someone who brushes their teeth or being a voter. Naturally, you are someone who brushes their teeth; It would feel weird for you not to brush your teeth at least twice a day, right?

And now, thanks to your new start this summer, you identify as a healthy eater! You are now a person who picks a side salad over fries, says “no thanks’ to cookies and cakes, and who brings your own healthy lunch to work every day. So, just as you might be a voter, a dog-lover, a reader, a prize-winning grower of orchids, congratulations – you are now a healthy eater too!

References:
Bryan, C. J., Walton, G. M., Rogers, T., & Dweck, C. S. (2011). Motivating voter turnout by invoking the self. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(31), 12653-12656.

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5 Ways to Spring Clean Your Diet

5 Ways to Spring Clean Your Diet

Long, grey, cold winters can leave you stuck in a rut craving comfort food. What might make you feel good in winter and fall can leave you feeling heavy and lethargic in the warmer months, though.

Get a jump on summer with these five ways to spring clean your diet.

1. Clear Your Cupboards

If, like me, you turn into a bit of a squirrel in Fall and stock your pantry full to bursting, set aside a few hours and clear out your cupboards. Here’s how:

  1. Lay the complete contents of your cupboard on the kitchen island, counter, or floor to get a full view of your inventory.
  2. Check the expiry dates. Create a pile of food that needs to be used up sooner rather than later.
  3. Create another pile of  “cold-weather comfort food”, such as heavy soups, sauces, and cookies.
  4. To free up space in your cupboards for lighter, summer-friendly fare like quinoa and bulgur, consider donating your “cold-weather comfort food” pile to your local food bank.

Embrace Sunday Meal Prep2. Embrace Sunday Meal Prep

If cooking a healthy dinner after a long work day is hard for you, try using Sundays for a bit of meal prep. This is as simple as planning a weekly menu and spending an hour or so chopping and bagging fresh vegetables for salads, soups, and stir-fries. This will help you throw together a healthy dinner every weeknight within a matter of minutes.

Meal prep can be done for breakfast too! To avoid picking up a coffee and Danish on the way to work, put together Mason jar smoothies or breakfast bowls for the week. Prepare your dry ingredients, such as PGX Satisfast Vegan Protein, spirulina powder, or another green food powder, in one large jar, then wash, peel, and bag up fresh fruit for each day. Then, every morning you can quickly put together a fresh, protein-and fiber-packed smoothie or healthy breakfast bowl!

3. Learn How to Make Salad Rolls

Salad rolls are easy, versatile, and fun! They’re also a great way to pack in your veggies and protein while keeping your calorie count in check.

  1. Thinly slice a heap of fresh veggies such as peppers, carrots, cucumber, and jicama and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
  2. Whip up a peanut sauce with peanut butter, sesame oil, lemon juice, and a dash of soy sauce and store in a small Mason jar in the refrigerator.
  3. Soak rice noodles and drain
  4. Stir-fry choice of protein, such as strips of tofu
  5. Combine all ingredients onto rice paper, and roll!

Grow Your Own Herbs4. Grow Your Own Herbs

Growing your own vegetables and fruits is very rewarding, but if it’s not how you want to spend your weekend or evenings, how about investing instead in some simple kitchen herbs? Nurturing herbs such as basil, dill, cilantro, and parsley, encourages us to eat them fresh. This not only adds nutrients to simple salads, soups, pasta, and other dishes, it adds flavour, allowing us to cut down on calorie-laden seasonings and sauces, helping to clean your diet.

5. Get Inspired!

If things have become a little humdrum in your kitchen, consider joining or forming a cookbook group. Choose a different recipe book each month and ask everyone to cook something from it for a group potluck. It’s a great way to sample new dishes, spend time with friends, and pick up a few new culinary skills along the way! If you’re forming your own group, consider choosing a theme that aligns with your health goals, such as whole food plant-based cuisine.

Switching things up for Spring can feel a bit daunting, so cookbook groups or visiting the farmers market are great ways to help clean your diet. Look out for fun, fresh, vibrant fruits and vegetables, such as fiddleheads, sorrel, heirloom tomatoes, fresh cherries and berries, and stock your refrigerator so you can snack with abandon this spring and summer!

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How to Build a Healthy Breakfast Bowl

How to Build a Healthy Breakfast Bowl

If there’s one trend that’s firing everyone up this year, it’s the bowl phenomenon. Smoothie bowls, lunch bowls, dragon bowls – it seems that this year the plate is passé. Serving breakfast in a bowl isn’t all that new to us, of course, but we can still stay on trend by learning how to build a healthy breakfast bowl.

The Breakfast BowlThe Breakfast Bowl

Throwing some cereal into a bowl and dowsing it in milk might seem fairly straightforward, but a satisfying, healthy, breakfast bowl requires a little creativity. Like so many things in life, building a good bowl is all about layering. You’ll want to factor in the density of ingredients, their crunchiness, moisture, and size so as to build a bowl that doesn’t disintegrate into a soggy mess. This is especially true if you’re creating a breakfast bowl to take to the office.

Try the following excellent breakfast bowl ingredients (listed from bowl bottom to top) for a healthy and delicious start to your day:

1. Cereal Bowl

  • Heritage grain cereal flakes (kamut, for example)
  • Homemade or store-bought granola (opt for sugar free or low sugar)
  • Seeds, such as hemp, chia, flax, pumpkin, and sunflower
  • Nuts, such as almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts
  • Dried fruit
  • Dark chocolate chips or cocoa powder
  • Non-dairy unsweetened milk, such as soy, rice, hemp, oat, almond, coconut, or cashew

Mix a scoop of PGX Satisfast Whey Protein Drink Mix into your milk for extra protein and fiber to start your day off right!

2. Mango and Coconut Bowl

  • Almond yogurt
  • Bran flakes (unsweetened)
  • Chia seeds
  • Pistachios (raw, unsalted)
  • Fresh mango
  • Orange segments

3. Oatmeal Bowl

  • Oatmeal
  • Tofu puffs, smoked tofu, or split red lentils
  • Mushrooms (sliced portobellos, for example)
  • Toasted pumpkin seeds
  • Bok choi (lightly steamed or sauteed)
  • Nori (seaweed) strips
  • Hot sauce and/or soy sauce

4. Quinoa Bowl

  • Quinoa
  • Refried beans
  • Scallions
  • Fried tomatoes or salsa
  • Avocado slices
  • Toasted pumpkin seeds

Overnight Breakfast BowlsOvernight Breakfast Bowls

You could also opt for a healthy breakfast bowl that is partially made in the evening and then fully constructed in the morning. These are known as “overnight breakfast bowls!”

Wide-mouthed Mason jars are ideal for building a breakfast bowl to take with you, and for creating bowls for the whole family for the whole week. Have fun layering your dry ingredients, then store these in a cupboard until it is time to pop the lid. Pour over your favorite non-dairy milk and enjoy right from the jar, or sprinkle your breakfast fixings over some fresh coconut or almond yogurt once you get to the office!

Overnight Oats

  • Small oats
  • Chia seeds
  • Maple syrup
  • Mashed banana
  • Almond milk
  • Dash of salt
  • Granola clusters
  • Fresh strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries
  • Pumpkin seeds

Chia Pudding Bowl

  • Chia pudding
  • Coconut milk
  • Chia seeds
  • Agave
  • Kiwi slices
  • Banana slices
  • Raspberries
  • Shredded coconut
  • Cashew or peanut pieces

 

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4 Healthy and Protein Rich Eggless Breakfasts

4 Healthy and Protein Rich Eggless Breakfasts

Plant-based protein is becoming increasingly popular as more people recognize the potential health (and environmental) benefits of minimizing animal-derived foods.

If going vegan seems like a stretch, then start out simple with one of these four eggless breakfasts that are packed with protein and taste:

1. Chickpea Nomelette

Wonderfully versatile, chickpea nomelettes (a no-egg omelette) are easy to make and customize. Packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and other phytonutrients, this simple dish is made partially on the stove top and partially in the oven.

Below is the basic recipe for a nomelette.  I suggest a totally delicious combination of mushroom, rosemary, and leeks for your first nomelette go-round!

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chickpea flour
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp black salt (kala namak  provide an eggy flavour)
  • 1 stock cube
  • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • Olive oil to taste

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375 °F

  1. Mix chickpea flour with water, turmeric, black salt, stock cube, and nutritional yeast.
  2. Let mixture stand while you sauté your chosen vegetables in a cast iron skillet with a little olive oil.
  3. Add the chickpea flour mixture to the pan and make sure the vegetables are evenly spread and well covered.
  4. Remove pan from heat and place in the oven, cooking for 2530 minutes.
  5. Let the nomelette stand for 5 minutes before turning it out and serving with sautéed greens.

You can find chickpea (gram) flour at many grocery stores, often alongside lentils and curry spices. Kala namak is typically found in Asian grocery stores or at specialty markets.

Tofu Scramble2. Tofu Scramble

A classic dish that is, again, easy to make and easy to customize. I like my scrams to be on the drier side, meaning that I use firm tofu instead of softer tofu. I also pile in the nutritional yeast to add vitamins, umami, and extra protein. One of my favorite ways to make tofu scramble is to add a tablespoon of homemade or store-bought vegan pesto just before serving. Sun dried tomato tapenade is also a great option for a quick, flavorful scramble.

Ingredients

  • Mushrooms
  • Onions
  • Zucchini
  • Peppers
  • Tomatoes
  • Kale
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Olive oil to taste
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 package of tofu
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

Directions

  1. Sauté mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a little olive oil.
  2. Add tofu (scrunch it in the packet until there are no large chunks left) and fry until golden brown.
  3. Toss in diced zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes and cook until they soften.
  4. Add a handful of chopped kale and a dash of soy sauce and stir fry until the kale wilts.
  5. Remove from heat and add nutritional yeast.
  6. Serve with hash browns or whole grain toast.

3. Veg Benedict

If you’re missing Eggs Benny, we’ve got you covered. This tofu, cashew ricotta, Portobello Benedict with vegan hollandaise sauce should satisfy your craving, and it is packed with protein and other nutrients to boot!

To Make the Ricotta:

  1. Soak a cup of cashews overnight, then drain.
  2. Add to a food processor with the juice of half a lemon, 1 clove of garlic, 2/3 tsp salt, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 cup fresh basil, and 1/2 cup kale.
  3. Blitz until everything is well combined.
  4. Save half of the ricotta and use the rest to make the cashew hollandaise sauce.

To Make the Cashew Hollandaise Sauce:

  1. Using half the homemade ricotta, add 1/4 tsp turmeric, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast, 2 tsps mustard, 1/4 cup coconut milk, and 1/4 cup water.
  2. Gently heat, and stir often to avoid burning.

To Make the Veg Benedict:

  1. Sauté sliced Portobello mushrooms.
  2. Pan-sear a 1/2-inch thick round of tofu (you can use a cookie cutter to get a round).
  3. Toast an English muffin and spread ricotta on both halves.
  4. Layer them with tofu and Portobellos.
  5. Drizzle cashew hollandaise sauce over the top and enjoy!

Savoury Oatmeal and Lentils4. Savory Oatmeal and Lentils

If your morning walk, bike ride, or transit ride to work takes about 30 minutes, this next eggless breakfast idea is for you!

Savory oatmeal (using quick cooking oats) or split red lentils is made using a thermos, boiling water, and a little patience. Save time in the morning by preparing your breakfast mix in advance.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup of oats or lentils
  • Dehydrated vegetables (or fruit) cut into small pieces
  • A dash of salt and pepper
  • 1/2  tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp turmeric

Directions

  1. Pour your dry mixture into a thermos.
  2. Add a cup of boiling water and stir quickly before sealing the thermos.
  3. By the time you arrive at work, your oats or lentils will be nicely cooked and ready to eat!
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How to Actually Stick to Your Goals

How to Actually Stick to Your Goals

The New Year offers us a great opportunity to embrace change. While around 50% of us make resolutions in January, barely any of us (a measly 8%!) maintain those changes for a year, let alone turn those changes into positive lifelong habits. Setting goals is admirable, but what does it take to actually stick to your goals?

Here are three big reasons why it can be hard to stick to your goals, along with some handy tips on how to set yourself up for success:

Making the Same Resolution Every Year1. Making the Same Resolution Every Year

By making, and then breaking, the same goals over and over, you’re engaging in psychological sabotage. So if you find yourself stuck in a rut of making the same resolution every January 1st and not following through, it’s time for a change.

Take some time to think seriously about the change(s) you want to make and why. There’s no shame in admitting that some things just aren’t your priority and doing so can free up your mental energy to develop healthy habits that do work for you.

Alternative Approach

Does your typical new year resolution include fitness? Then think about what this really means to you. It’s likely to be different for everyone, and there are many ways to achieve this goal. For example:

  • Able to walk up stairs without feeling breathless
  • Run a 5 km charity race in under 45 minutes
  • Lift your own body weight at the gym
  • Able to keep up with the kids on their bikes while on vacation

Narrow in on a specific goal and use it to set a series of smaller, achievable targets, and create a plan to reach them. This is a great start to help enable you to stick to your goals!

2. Making Your Goals Too General

Nothing hampers success like a moving target, and most new year’s resolutions are vague and rather elusive. As noted above specificity is key, otherwise, how will you know when you’re on track or have achieved your goal?

Alternative Approach

SMART people know that acronyms can be a real help. As such, make sure your goals are:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Realistic
  • Timeline

For example, instead of saying “I want to lose weight this year,” resolve to lose a realistic, achievable, safe amount of weight each week for the next 52 weeks. Better still, resolve to get your body fat percentage down by 10%.

Set up a way to measure your progress and figure out a plan to get you there. This could include cutting down portion sizes by a third, eating more plant foods to increase your fiber intake, or cutting out major sources of saturated fat and sugar.

3. Losing Track, and Motivation

Imagine your goal for the year is a town called “Happiness” far off in the distance. You can’t see the town’s lights yet, but you know it’s there and you want to find it. On January 1st you set off at full speed towards the horizon but you soon lose your way, forget where you started, grow dispirited, and end up snacking at a roadside fruit stand before heading back home.

Now, think about how you can develop a better (or any!) strategy to get to Happiness. Instead of just going full tilt without a plan, consult your map and lay out some goals. Get specific. Set up mile markers at reasonable points along that road and focus on those instead of the far off, and intimidating end goal. This works for fitness goals, spending goals, weight loss (or gain) goals, and also for career and relationship goals.

How to Set Specific GoalsHow to Set Specific Goals

As an example, if your dream goal is to run 15 km in less than 100 minutes in a November charity race, set yourself specific weekly running goals based on your current level of fitness† and a schedule you can stick to, such as the one outlined below.

By setting specific, realistic, achievable, measurable goals on a timeline, that 15 km charity run in under 100 minutes is totally doable, even for a novice runner.

Training Schedule for Novice Runner

For a novice runner, a training schedule needs to be detailed, such as the one below:

Weeks 1–10
  • Weeks 1 and 2: 1 km twice a week and 2 km on weekends
  • Weeks 3 and 4: 2 km twice a week and 3 km on weekends
  • Weeks 5 and 6: 3 km twice a week and 4 km on weekends
  • Weeks 7 and 8: 4 km twice a week and 5 km on weekends (celebrate your first 5 km run!)
  • Weeks 9 and 10: 5 km twice a week and 6 km on weekends
Weeks 11–21
  • Weeks 11 and 12: 6 km twice a week and 7 km on weekends
  • Week 13 (early April): 7 km twice a week and a 5 km charity race at the weekend
  • Week 14: 7 km twice a week and 8 km on weekends
  • Weeks 15 and 16: 8 km twice a week and 9 km on weekends
  • Weeks 17 and 18: 9 km twice a week and 10 km on weekends (celebrate your first 10 km run!)
  • Weeks 19, 20, and 21: 10 km twice a week and 11 km on weekends
Weeks 22–28
  • Week 22 (early June): 11 km twice a week and a 10 km charity run on the weekend
  • Weeks 23 and 24: 12 km twice a week and 13 km on the weekend
  • Weeks 25 and 26: 13 km twice a week and 14 km on the weekend
  • Weeks 27 and 28: 14 km twice a week and 15 km on the weekend (celebrate getting to 15 km!)
  • Weeks 29 and 30: 15 km twice a week and 16 km on the weekend
  • Weeks 31 to 36 (early September): 15 km three times a week (aim for a run-time of less than 140 minutes)
  • Weeks 37 to 42: 15 km three times a week (aim for a run-time of less than 120 minutes)
  • Weeks 43 to 45: 15 km three times a week (aim for a run-time of less than 100 minutes)
  • Week 46 (mid November): 15 km charity race (run time less than 100 minute).

You’re All Set!

The final thing to take note of is that getting fit and losing weight are two separate things. If you want to do both, tackle them as distinct goals with separate milestones and strategies. Also, be aware that getting fit means building muscle, which could mean you gain lean body weight. As such, a better goal pair would be to “run 10 km in under an hour’ and ‘decrease body fat by 10%.”

†Always consult with a qualified health professional if you are unsure before starting a new exercise program.

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The BMI Debate: What to Know

The BMI Debate: What to Know

What do a svelte, health-conscious athlete and a sedentary person weighing 200 lbs have in common?  A high body mass index (or BMI).

This is no joke; athletes, fitness fanatics and those who are considered overweight or morbidly obese often have a similar BMI. You might find this surprising, but the real surprise should be that we’re still using this method to measure individual health.

The BMI debate rages on, so let’s find out what this calculation really measures and why we should take BMI with a pinch of (low-sodium) salt.

What Is BMI?

BMI was invented way back in the 19th Century by Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian astronomer, mathematician, statistician, and sociologist. Quetelet wanted to devise a way to measure obesity in a population, and thus the body mass index was born.

The BMI is calculated by taking a person’s weight and comparing it to their height squared.  Like this:

  1. A person who is 5’10” and weighs 200 lbs has a BMI of 28.7
  2. A person who is 175 cm tall and weighs 65 kg has a BMI of 21.2.

These measurements put the first individual in the category of “overweight” and the second in the “normal” weight category.

Typically, BMI is classified into four groups:

  1. Underweight = <18.5
  2. Normal weight = 18.5–24.9
  3. Overweight = 25–29.9
  4. Obesity = BMI of 30 or greater

Problems With the BMIProblems with the BMI

The measurement fails to account for the degree to which fat, bone mass, and muscle contribute to overall body mass. Bones and muscle are denser than fat, so a person with strong bones and a good amount of muscle mass may have a similar BMI to someone with more porous bones and a high degree of body fat.

The bluntness of this tool has been noted time and again by physicians and others working in public health. BMI can be useful for measuring population health as it is unlikely that a high average BMI can be attributed to an incredibly toned and muscular population with strong bones. When it comes to individuals, however, BMI is largely unhelpful, so why is it so popular?

The easy answer, of course, is that the calculation is relatively simple and easy to figure out.

Confused Logic and the BMI

The BMI is uni-directional. This means that a person with a lot of body fat will probably have a high BMI, but that a person with a high BMI does not necessarily have a lot of body fat. At best, the tool is descriptive of something you probably already know. At worst, it’s thoroughly misleading and lazy.

Again, a high BMI could mean that an individual is overweight or obese. It could also mean that a person is fit and healthy, with plenty of muscle mass, strong bones, and little fat. Conversely, a person could have a low BMI because they are largely sedentary, have low muscle and bone mass, and/or are sick, but have a fairly high proportion of body fat.

Even the best-intentioned health authorities fall prey to the twisted logic of the BMI. The US Centers for Disease Control noted that “the BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness for people.

So, what can we use instead of BMI as a fairly robust and simple measure of health?

Alternative to the BMIAlternative to the BMI

A better option is waist measurement (because central adiposity is highly correlated with poor health) and your waist to height ratio. Recommended waist sizes are as follows (and will vary for people of European, Asian, Indian, and African-American descent):

  • No more than 39 or 40 inches for men
  • No more than 34 or 35 inches for women.

To measure your waist, place a tape measure around the top of your hip bones at your lower back and around to the belly button.

For waist to height ratio, the aim is to have a waist circumference that is less than half of your height (i.e., 0.5). For example: if a person is 177.8 cm tall (around 5’10”), weighs 200 lbs, and has a waist size of 80 cm (around 31.5″) their BMI would be 28.7 and put them at the upper end of the overweight category. However, their waist-to-height ratio would 0.45, which is under the recommended 0.5 ratio.

 

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Healthy Living on a Budget: 4 Smart and Simple Tips

Healthy Living on a Budget: 4 Smart and Simple Tips

Raise the Rates campaigns have been in the news recently. While most of us are fortunate enough to not have to turn to the social safety net, it’s still important to know that healthy living on a budget is entirely possible. Keeping food costs low while looking after health is an essential life skill, but one that few of us are taught at school.

Here are four tips for healthy living on a budget to help your family practice mindful spending while prioritizing health:

Plan, plan, plan1. Plan, Plan, Plan

It can’t be said enough. If you have a plan and stick to it, you can dramatically cut food waste and outlandish expenses.

Start by designating a time, perhaps before grocery shopping, to work out a meal plan for the week ahead. Write down all the groceries you need to meet that meal plan, and any pantry items that need refilling. Head to the store and only get what is on your list.

When planning, opt for meals you can prepare in bulk, such as chilli, soups, casseroles, or curry. This will allow you to take advantage of economy size packs, saving you money while cutting down on food waste. It’s also a big timesaver, as you can freeze extra batches for a quick meal later.

2. Shop the Edges

Hitting the grocery store with a list is one of the best ways to stay healthy on a budget, but it also pays to shop the edges at the store. In most large grocery stores, this means sticking to the fresh food aisles, bulk and dried goods, and the bakery.

If you know your kids get peckish and demanding at the store, plan distractions. This might mean taking a healthy snack for them to eat, or allowing them to listen to music through headphones. Whatever you do, don’t give them their own cart unless you assign them specific items to track down for you. This will also help avoid the middle of the grocery store where the highly processed and packaged foods tend to lay in wait.

Build stronger communities through food sharing3. Build Stronger Communities through Sharing Food

If you’re shopping for just yourself or a small family, it can be hard to take advantage of bulk discounts. You may also find that without careful planning you tend to generate a lot of food waste. One way to tackle both costly problems is to set up a network of friends who share food.

This could mean forming an organized buying club that shops for specific goods at certain times of year. It could also be a less formal arrangement where you take extra food over to a friend’s place to share when you have it. Or, it could simply be getting together with friends to cook a large, shared meal.

Preparing healthy communal meals can be a fun, social way to avoid the cost and temptation of restaurant fare. Sharing food is also a great way to form close friendships and build stronger communities, allowing everyone’s resources to stretch a little further when times are hard.

4. Pack a Picnic

Piggy-backing on the idea of sharing cooking responsibilities, packing a picnic is another great way to stay healthy on a budget. If you are going for a hike, a stroll in the park, a day at the beach, or even to the movies, packing your own snacks and meals is almost guaranteed to be cheaper and healthier than anything you pick up. Below are some great, healthy options for a picnic:

  • Homemade granola bars
  • Fruit
  • Raw veggies and hummus
  • Rice crackers with almond butter and banana slices
  • Homemade popcorn with nutritional yeast and olive oil

Whatever you choose to pack, you’ll be avoiding overpriced, heavily salted, fatty, and sugary food that can hurt your health and your bank balance.

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The Best Fresh Flavors for Fall Smoothies

The Best Fresh Flavors For Fall Smoothies

Smoothie fever typically kicks in at the height of summer when fresh fruits are in abundance. But what’s a smoothie fan to do once the colder weather arrives? Here are your best bets for fresh and delicious fall smoothies:

Fresh Fall Ingredients

Smoothies are a great way to pack in antioxidants and other nutrients from fresh fruits and vegetables. From October to May, however, it can be slim pickings at the fruit stand, so you’ll need to get innovative if you want to maintain your smoothie habit.

Some top fruit and vegetable picks for fall and winter smoothies include:

  • Leafy greens
  • Beets
  • Carrots
  • Squash and pumpkin
  • Spinach
  • Kale
  • Apples
  • Grapes
  • Pears
  • Medlars
  • Quince

Fennel can also add a liquorice-like kick to your smoothies, while ginger offers warmth on those cooler mornings. The more adventurous among you might try tracking down some nettles and watercress or even rosehips to add some wild flavors to your morning cold-weather smoothie.

Fall Smoothie Combinations

apple and rhubarbApple and Rhubarb

What flavors say Fall more than apple or rhubarb?

Throughout the Fall and Winter, you should still be able to find local apples and rhubarb. At first blush, you might not think rhubarb would be a great choice for a smoothie, but it mixes well with celery, kale, carrots, and winter greens, as does apple.

Dried Fruit and Nut Milk

Dried fruit can also be an excellent choice for smoothies made using almond milk or soy milk. Try blitzing a handful of cranberries with mandarin segments, almond milk, and chia seeds for a seasonal smoothie.

Fall GreensFall Greens

Kale, celery, apple, and ginger is a delicious green smoothie combination. It also provides an excellent array of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients including calcium, quercetin, and vitamin C. What better way to start your morning than with a tasty, nutritious green smoothie!

Add in a dash of turmeric to bump up your antioxidant intake even further!

Pumpkin Spice

If the onset of fall weather has you craving a pumpkin spiced latte, why not make yourself a pumpkin cinnamon smoothie with cashew milk and fresh pumpkin instead?

With any of your smoothies, consider adding in a scoop of PGX protein powder to lower the glycemic index and increase your fiber intake, helping you to feel fuller for longer.

 

 

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There’s a Lot to Love About Infused Water

There's a Lot to Love About Infused Water

There’s no doubt water is vital for human life, but many people struggle to get enough. For anyone who dislikes the taste of plain water, or who just wants to add extra nutrition to their day, infused water might be just the ticket.

Water and our BodyWater and Our Body

The human body is made up of 50–75% water, with good old H20 vital for a host of bodily processes. We need water for regulating temperature, and for forming blood, digestive juices, urine and perspiration.

Water helps us flush out undesirable chemicals, lubricate joints and mucous membranes, prevent occasional constipation, and keep skin firm and plump. It also helps dissolve minerals so the body can use them properly.*

The Benefits of Infused WaterThe Benefits of Infused Water

Infusing water with fruits, vegetables, and herbs can increase its palatability, encouraging us to drink more. It can also add a few extra nutrients to our diet, without the added calories that come with many store-bought flavored beverages.

Because infused water requires considerably less fruit than fruit or vegetable juice, it can help you cut back on cost, time, energy, and waste. And, infused water made naturally at home is far superior to products made with artificial colours, flavors, and sweeteners.

Depending on what you choose to infuse your water with, the resulting liquid may have an alkalizing effect on your body, which helps support the body’s optimal pH for good health. However, with infused water, you’re not going to get the same fiber as you would from actually eating fruit. Nevertheless, infused water has some added dietary value, and can help you and your family stay hydrated throughout the day.

How to Infuse WaterHow to Infuse Water

To make infused water, add sliced fruits and vegetables to a pitcher of ordinary tap or filtered water. Place the pitcher in your refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. The phytochemicals will leach from the produce into the water, adding flavor and nutrients, including antioxidants.

Some great options (and a few of my favorite combos) for infusing water include:

  • Cucumber slices and fresh mint
  • Lemon and lime slices
  • Strawberry and orange slices
  • Basil and carrot
  • Watermelon
  • Peach
  • Grapes
  • Blueberry and ginger root

If you have an abundance of any particular fruit, consider freezing it to use as “ice cubes” for a cold, infused water treat!

*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. 

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Easy to Make Summer Protein: Chickpea Frittata

image-blog-PGX-Easy to Make Summer Protein_ Chickpea Frittata-20160816

Summer protein comes in a whole host of healthy forms, without all the saturated fat found in meat and with more fiber, vitamins, minerals, and polyphenols than some skewered chicken. What’s more, by skipping the grilled meat, you’ll also be minimizing your intake of heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), chemicals that form when certain foods are cooked at very high temperatures.

Chickpea Frittata

Chickpea flour is high in protein, tastes delicious, and is gluten free, making it a hit for summer potlucks! This frittata can be eaten straight from the skillet and is also ideal for a fancy picnic if prepared ahead  just let it cool and cut it into slices to serve with a quinoa or wild rice salad.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of chickpea flour
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 tsp dried rosemary
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Tomatoes
  • Garlic scapes
  • Chard
  • Mushrooms

Directions:

  1. To make the frittata, sauté tomatoes, garlic scapes, chard, and mushrooms in a cast iron skillet.
  2. Mix chickpea flour  with water, and add in dried rosemary, salt, and olive oil (use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps of flour).
  3. Pour the chickpea mixture over the vegetables and cook for two minutes over the heat before transferring the skillet to the oven.
  4. Bake for 15 minutes at 375 degrees.
  5. Let stand for two minutes, then ease the frittata out of the skillet in slices.

Summer Protein: Chickpea Frittata

Easy Vegetarian Summer Protein Ideas

Some other excellent options for summer protein include:

tofuVegetable Skewers With Cubed Tofu

Shallots, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms – the options for vegetable skewers are endless! Simply pick your veggie combo, slide on skewers, add in some firm, cubed tofu, drizzle with your choice of barbecue sauce, and roast away!

Festive, flavorful and full of color, vegetable skewers are a surefire hit at any summer potluck or BBQ!

English Podded Peas

Delicious raw in a salad, or lightly steamed, English podded peas are also fun for the kids to pick and pop!

Cashew and Beetroot Dip

This dip is as simple as throwing some cashews (soaked overnight and drained) and cooked beets into a food processor, blitzing, and then serving with fresh bread, crackers, or pita.

Falafel Plate

Nothing says summer more than a plate heaped high with fresh falafel, hummus and carrot, celery, and cucumber sticks for dipping!

threebeanSesame Three Bean Salad

Whip up a tasty three bean salad for an easy summer side dish that compliments almost all meals!

Simply combine a handful of kidney beans, pinto beans, and haricot beans into a large bowl. Add in fresh chopped parsley, diced cucumber, peppers, and tomatoes, and drizzle with sesame oil and lemon juice.

Summer Smoothies

Summer is resplendent with wild and organically farmed raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, and blackberries. Pick your favorite berry combination, add peanut butter, almond milk, and a scoop of PGX vanilla vegan protein, for a 100% plant-based protein drink that tastes delicious!

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