Healthy Diet
Transcript: What if? So what can we do? Eat better!! Canadas Food Guide What do we know about this guide? There are also a few other reasons why the Canada Food guide is so handy... It offers us a “guided tour”. It gives us specific information on nutrition. It has great tips for food choices and grocery shopping . It is available in different languages for our multicultural society. Has free learning resources. It provides us with safe food handling tips. Has easy to use food and meal preparation ideas. How to read product labels. So since this all seems so easy now, why would we still NOT follow Canada's Food Guide? Health Canada did all the hard work! Let's break it down! Fruits and Veggies How Many servings of fruits and veggies do we need on a daily basis? Do you know? A male needs 8-10 servings, while females only need 7-8. 1/2 cup chopped vegetables 1 cup raw leafy vegetables (a small salad) 6-8 carrot sticks (3" long) 1 medium potato 1/2 cup cooked or canned dry beans or peas 1/2 cup fruit 1 medium piece of fruit 1/2 grapefruit 1/4 small cantaloupe 1/4 cup dried fruit 1/2 cup berries a dozen grapes 3/4 cup fruit juice (100% juice) Fruits and vegetables give you many of the nutrients that you need: vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, water, and healthful phytochemicals. Some are sources of let vitamin A, while others are rich in vitamin C, folate, or potassium. Almost all fruits and vegetables are naturally low in fat and calories and none have cholesterol. All of these healthful characteristics may protect you from getting chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer. Fruits and Veggies are delicious, but be cautious of eating too many fruits as some of them are still very high in sugar. These are also a great source of fiber! Fiber decreases your risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol. Regular soft formed bowel movements will lower the chances of anal fissures and hemorrhoids. Fiber will also help keep your bowels regular and decrease your risk of Colon Cancer! Interesting fact, rasberries are very high in fiber with 8g in 1cup!! Juices are generally not a good source of fruits or veggies as they are loaded with sugars and possibly preservatives...read all labels!! Grain Products How Many servings of grains do we need on a daily basis? Do you know? On average we need 25-30g of fiber a day. Men need 8 servings and women need 6-7 servings per day. 1 slice whole-grain bread (such as 100% whole-wheat bread) 1 ounce ready-to-eat, whole-grain cereal (about 1 cup wheat flakes) 1⁄2 cup cooked whole-grain cereal, brown rice, or whole-wheat pasta 5 whole-grain crackers 3 cups popped popcorn Along with decreasing your risk of constipation and colon cancer, fiber plays a role in lowering cholesterol and helping to improve sugar levels in diabetics. Did you know there is Soluble and Insoluble Fiber? Insoluble fiber can be found in fruits with edible peels or seeds, veggies and whole grain products, bulgur wheat, stone ground corn meal, cereals, bran, rolled oats, buckwheat and brown rice. Insoluble fiber remains unchanged during digestion, promoting natural movement of instestinal contents. Soluble fiber can be found in fruits, veggies, legumes, barley, oats and oat bran. Soluble fiber absorbs water during digestion, increasing stool bulk There are also whole grains and refined grains. Whole grains contain the entire grain-the bran, germ and endosperm. Whole grains are an important source of B-Vitamins, Iron, Magnesium and Slenium Whole grains are a good source of dietary fibre, and help provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories. Refined grains have been milled removing the grains important qualities: dietary fiber, B-vitamins, iron. Refined grains may be enriched, which means adding some of the B-vitamins and iron back after processing. Milk and Alternatives 2 servings for both males and females One cup (250 mL) of either milk, fortified soy beverage, or reconstituted powdered milk counts as one Food Guide Serving. For canned (evaporated) milk, 125 mL (1/2 cup) is considered a serving. A Food Guide Serving of milk and alternatives also includes 175 grams (3/4 cup) of yogurt or kefir (another type of cultured milk product) and 50 grams (1 1/2 oz) of cheese. This group gives us many important nutrients: -Calcium -Vitamins A, D, B12 -Zinc -Riboflavin -Magnesium -Potassium -Protein -Fat -Probiotics Many of these nutrients (such as calcium and vitamin D) are important for bone health and are also necessary for overall health by decreasing blood pressure, controlling weight and reducing the risk of some chronic diseases and cancers. In addition to these nutrients, intake of milk products is also associated with higher intake of Iron and Folic Acid. Meats and Alternatives How many servings of meats do we need on a daily basis? Do you know? 2 servings for women and 3 servings for men For beans or tofu, 175 mL (3/4 cup) counts as one Food Guide Serving. Serving of meat and alternatives