March is Nutrition Month – Simply Cook and Enjoy!

March is Nutrition Month – Simply Cook and Enjoy!

As many people may know, March is nutrition month with the topic this year being “Simply Cook and Enjoy!”, with the goal of encouraging those all across Canada to eat better and enjoy food that is good for you. As well, this year’s theme focuses on serving up practical advice on cooking and food skills from dietitians, the food and nutrition experts.

Home cooking is an important skill to have for good health. Due to time constraints, people often find it difficult to prepare meals at home and are forced to rely more on processed and prepared meals. Having cooking skills is also essentially important in order to educate others, such as your children, so that they will have these skills and be able to feed themselves when they grow up. Of course, there are long-term implications of a poor diet on health.

Try some of these helpful tips and tools to help you and your family make healthier choices and of course, Simply Cook and Enjoy! These tips are to help you make good use of time and not only improve your ability to have more home cooked meals, but also reduce spending on going out for meals! There are 8 so far for the first eight days of the month:

1. Simplify weekday cooking. Prepare some ingredients in advance.

2. In a hurry? Take a kitchen short cut with healthier convenience foods like pre-cut veggies.

3. Feel sandwiched for time? What could be simpler than a sandwich for supper? http://ow.ly/qkqKE

4. Time-crunched? Good-for-you meals can take less time than take-out! http://ow.ly/qkrkv 

5. Double up! Make a double batch of breakfast on the weekend to enjoy during the week.

6. Cook once. Eat twice. Make weeknight cooking a breeze with planned extras.

7. Make a no-fuss meal with just six simple ingredients or less! http://ow.ly/qkrVe

8. A few good kitchen tools, like sharp knives and a blender, can make cooking a whole lot easier!

Additionally, visit dietitians.ca this Nutrition Month for inspiration and information from Registered Dietitians:

• Access eaTracker to review your food and activity choices, analyze your recipes, plan your meals, and more.
• Download free smartphone apps eaTipster for a nutrition tip a day, and Cookspiration to inspire you to cook.
• Watch videos with advice from Registered Dietitians.

Facebook: /dietitiansCAN

Website: www.dietitians.ca/nutritionmonth

Twittier: @dietitiansCAN

For more information and tips on how to adopt healthier eating patterns, Registered Dietitian Arin Taub at Form and Function Health and Wellness Clinic will be happy to help. Do not hesitate to book an appointment at your earliest convenience.

Eat well and stay active!