February is Heart Month

• January 26, 2021
• • Member News

Splatsin’s Holistic Nutritionist, Kristi Christian, shares some of her favourite recipes that taste good and are good for your heart. Did you know that up to 80% 0f premature heart disease and stroke can be prevented through your life habits, such as eating a healthy diet and being physically active?

A healthy diet can help lower your risk of heart disease and stroke by:

• Improving your cholesterol levels
• Reducing your blood pressure
• Helping you manage your body weight
• Controlling your blood sugar

What does a healthy balanced diet look like?

• Eating a variety of healthy foods each day. This includes eating plant-based foods more often and choosing highly processed and ultra-processed foods less often.

A healthy diet includes:

Eating lots of vegetables and fruits

• This is one of the most important eating habits. Vegetables and fruits are packed with nutrients (antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber), and help you maintain a healthy weight by keeping you full longer.
• Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables at every meal and snack.

Choose whole grain foods

• Whole-grain foods include whole-grain bread and crackers, brown or wild rice, quinoa, oatmeal and hulled barley. Whole-grain foods have fibre, protein and B vitamins and help you stay full longer.
• Choose whole-grain options instead of processed or refined grains such as white bread and pasta.
• Fill a quarter of your plate with whole-grain foods.

Eating protein foods

• Protein foods include nuts, seeds, legumes, tofu, fortified soy beverage, fish, shellfish, eggs, poultry, lean red meats (including wild game), lower-fat milk, yogurt (unsweetened), cheese.
• Protein helps build and maintain muscles bones and skin.
• Eat protein every day,
• Try and eat at least two servings of fish each week and try to include more plant-based protein into your diet each week.
• Fill a quarter of your plate with protein foods.

Limiting highly and ultra-processed foods

• Highly processed foods, often called ultra-processed, are foods that are changed from their original food source and have many added ingredients. During processing, often important nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and fibre are removed while salt and sugar are added. Examples of processed foods include fast foods, hot dogs, chips, cookies, frozen pizza, deli meats, white rice and white bread.

Make water your drink of choice

• Water supports health and promotes hydration without adding calories to the diet.
• Sugary drinks including energy drinks, fruit drinks, 100% fruit juice, soft drinks and flavoured coffees have lots of sugar and little to no nutritional value.
• Avoid fruit juice, even when it is 100% fruit juice. Although fruit juice has some of the benefits of fruit (vitamins and minerals), it has more sugar than the fruit and less fibre. Fruit juice should not be consumed as an alternative to fruits. We should eat our fruits, not drink them!

See Canada’s Food Guide