Get Your Greens & Get Active
by Janelle Hatch
There are many ways for you and your family to get active every day and just as many ways for you to move toward healthy eating. Two programs happening this month can help give you ideas and get you motivated.
Each year in March, Dietitians of Canada highlights healthy eating with National Nutrition Month® and challenges all Canadians to eat healthier. This year, dietitians across Canada have put together their “Top 10 List” for what you need to know to eat healthy and get active. Making changes can feel overwhelming at first, so start by focusing on one or two of these ideas.
Dietitians Top 10 List (from Dietitians of Canada, Nutrition Month® 2008):
1. Want to feel your best? Eat well and get physical!
2. Benefit from balance—Challenge family members to achieve healthy weights.
3. Quality counts—Whether at home, school, work or play, keep healthy food choices in mind.
4.Give your food portions a makeover—tune in to moderation in serving sizes.
5. Colour your world with vegetables and fruits.
6. Be a savvy shopper—get the nutrition facts from the label.
7. Make meal time a family affair.
8. Healthy eating is more than a flash in the pan—it’s a lifetime commitment.
9. Make www.dietitians.ca your “go to” place for trusted nutrition information and fun healthy eating ideas.
10. Have a nutrition question? Ask a registered dietitian.
Another program offered in Greater Victoria is Eat Well Get Moving! This program was developed and is implemented by the Health and Recreation Alliance (HARA) of Victoria, a partnership of Vancouver Island Health Authority, Prevention Services and municipal recreation centres in the Greater Victoria area.
Eat Well Get Moving! is a school-based program designed to create awareness and educate children and youth about the importance of healthy eating and staying active. This program is in its fifth year and is running in schools until April 30. In accordance with Canada’s Food Guide, this fun and interactive program encourages students to eat at least five servings of vegetables and fruit a day and to be active for 90 minutes.
Eat Well Get Moving! provides students with cards to track their activity and the number of vegetables and fruit eaten each day. Once their card is full, they can take it back to school for the class to track their progress. They can win a number of great prizes that support active living and healthy eating. Participants don’t have to live in Victoria to benefit from this program. Download and print cards so that your entire family can participate and track its progress through www.fitinfitness.ca.
Nutrition Month® gives great advice on how to participate and information on Nutrition Month® activities in your community. To find out more, see the Dietitians of Canada website at www.dietitians.ca. Make it a family affair to add more physical activity along with vegetables and fruit each day.
Eat well and get physical! If you haven’t seen the new Canada’s Food Guide yet, check it out online and make your own personal food guide at www.myfoodguide.ca. You can do this as a family activity so that each family member has their own personal guide to follow on their way to healthy eating.
Canada’s Physical Activity Guide is another tool offering ideas for adding activity each day at www.paguide.com. Remember that all types of activity are important for health including stretching, strengthening and activities that get your heart pumping. Get the guides and review them with your children. Learn as a family about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity.
Many fun programs are happening in your community. To find one that suits you, visit www.fitinfitness.ca or drop by your local recreation center.
Colour your world with veggies & fruit. As a part of daily meals and snacks, try to include more vegetables and fruit every day. These foods are packed with nutrients that promote health, not to mention that they add colour and flavour to your food. Find out as a family what local vegetables and fruits are in season. If your favourites are not in season, try frozen or canned. For a listing of seasonal vegetables and fruit and many other ideas for healthy eating, go to www.actnowbc.ca.
Take up the challenge! Try a few of these ideas to include a variety of vegetables and fruit and more activity every day. And track your progress using the Eat Well Get Moving! card.
Recipe Idea
Snack Pack Pita (or Wrap)
Cut a whole wheat pita in half. Fill it with some of these foods or make up your own combinations.
• Cottage cheese and sliced (fresh or canned) fruit
• Hummus (chick pea spread) and sliced veggies
• Cheddar cheese and apple slices
• Canned tuna and chopped celery
• Salsa, canned or frozen corn and shredded cheese
• Hard cooked egg with chopped green pepper
• Yogurt and favourite fruit
• Sliced meat (ham, chicken, turkey), lettuce and tomato
Janelle Hatch is a community nutritionist with the Vancouver Island Health Authority.
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