UNews - dairy products

Healthy eating includes healthy snacking

trevor.kenney — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:21:06 +0000

By DIANE BRITTON

Healthy eating can be simple if you plan and pack healthy snacks to take with you all day long.

It's often a lack of planning that has you in front of a vending machine with the snack monster raging inside. Good snacks should include one to two food groups to boost your nutrient intake.

Here are some tips to max your snacks.

Not so sweet

Eat no more than 40g of sugar per day (not including natural sugars such as fructose found in fruit or lactose found in dairy products). Make it a habit to read labels to see where sugar is hidden or added to foods.

Pour it out

Portion snacks into a bowl or napkin in front of you. It can be easy to overeat when you eat right from the bag or box.

Make a list

Write down a list of your favorite healthy snack ideas and post them on your fridge. When you make your grocery store list, choose a snack of the week. This allows variety from week to week, and makes sure you don't have too many snacks in the house that may go bad before you can eat them, or tempt you into eating too much.

For example:
• Week 1: apples and cheese strings
• Week 2: yogurt and carrot sticks
• Week 3: oranges and celery sticks
• Week 4: chocolate milk and bananas

Read labels

Compare nutrition information labels to choose the best snacks for you. Look for brands lower in fat and salt, and higher in fibre.

Go natural

Vegetables and fruits make a quick power snack. Aim to include a fruit or vegetable at every snack break.

For individual nutrition appointments call the Health Centre (SU 020) at 403-329-2484. All sessions are $20 for U of L students and employees.

Diane Britton is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's on-campus registered dietitian

Max your snacks

trevor.kenney — Fri, 07 May 2010 21:53:48 +0000

Healthy eating can be simple if you plan and pack healthy snacks to take with you all day long.

It's often a lack of planning that has you in front of a vending machine with the snack monster raging inside. Good snacks should include one to two food groups to boost your nutrient intake.

Here are some tips to max your snacks.

Not so sweet

Pour it out

Portion snacks into a bowl or napkin in front of you. It can be easy to overeat when you eat right from the bag or box.

Make a list

For example:
• Week 1: apples and cheese strings
• Week 2: yogurt and carrot sticks
• Week 3: oranges and celery sticks
• Week 4: chocolate milk and bananas

Read labels

Compare nutrition information labels to choose the best snacks for you. Look for brands lower in fat and salt, and higher in fibre.

Go natural

Vegetables and fruits make a quick power snack. Aim to include a fruit or vegetable at every snack break.

For individual nutrition appointments call the Health Centre (SU 020) at 403-329-2484. All sessions are $20 for U of L students and employees.

Diane Britton is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's on-campus registered dietitian

One food group, many benefits

trevor.kenney — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:05:48 +0000

Getting your daily dose of milk and alternatives does more than just keep your bones healthy. Here are the many ways this one food group can benefit your health:

Healthy bones and teeth

Even as an adult, you recycle calcium in and out of your bones daily so that every 10 years your body rebuilds a whole new skeleton!

Weight loss

Research shows that calcium helps people lose weight. It causes fat cells to burn off stored fat and decreases your body's ability to store fat.

Blood pressure

The DASH diet (eating 8-10 servings of vegetables and fruit along with three servings from the milk and alternatives daily) helps lower blood pressure. This diet should be monitored closely by your physician and can be set up for you by a dietitian.

PMS

Research shows that 1200 mg of calcium daily helps ease symptoms of PMS including cramps, water retention, food cravings and mood changes. Got yogurt?

Cancer prevention

CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) is a natural fat found in dairy products that lowers the risk of some types of cancer

Kidney stones

Research shows that a diet high in calcium reduces the risk of calcium oxalate kidney stones, if the source of calcium is dairy products. Calcium supplements can actually increase kidney stone risk.

Probiotics

These 'friendly bacteria' found in yogurt may help boost your immune system and prevent some types of cancer.

Menopause

Many women are switching to soy products for the added benefits of phytoestrogens to help alleviate some of the symptoms of menopause.

For individual nutrition appointments call the Health Centre (SU 020) at 403-329-2484. All sessions are $20 for students and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ employees.

Diane Britton is the on-campus registered dietitian

Energy in a can: the real story on energy drinks

trevor.kenney — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:37:16 +0000

Energy drinks claim to boost your energy and improve performance but they are different from sport drinks such as Gatorade or PowerAde, which have small amounts of carbohydrate and electrolytes.

Here's a look at what energy drinks contain.

Caffeine. Energy drinks have caffeine listed as Guarana, yerba mate or caffeine. They usually have about 80 mg in a 250 ml can, double the amount found in pop and about half the amount found in coffee.

Taurine. Most energy drinks contain one gram of taurine, an amino acid that is easily obtained in the diet from meat and dairy products. Although the claim is that taurine increases alertness, there is no research to support it.

Herbs. Ginkgo biloba and ginseng are listed ingredients in many energy drinks. These can interfere with medications affecting blood clotting. There is no research to support that these herbs improve sports performance.

Sugar. These beverages contain about twice the amount of sugar (carbohydrate) as a sport drink and so will interfere with performance. If drank just before or during exercise they may cause nausea, cramps and diarrhea. High doses of sugar may have a short term energy burst, but the body will quickly get the sugar out of the blood stream, causing a big drop in blood sugar about 70 to 80 minutes later. According to research this may slow reaction time both physically and mentally.

Health Canada regulates energy drinks as supplements. It recommends not consuming more than 500 ml per day and cautions not to mix with alcohol.

For anyone in vigorous exercise situations, sport drinks or water are the best choices during exercise. A 20-minute nap, regular meals and snacks throughout the day or a quick power walk are natural ways to boost your energy and alertness.

Diane Britton is the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's On-campus Registered Dietitian

UNews - dairy products

Healthy eating includes healthy snacking

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