Improving Snack and Beverage Delivery in Acute Care
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- The sensation of the dock at your back, rocking gently with the water
- A warm blanket wrapped around you
- The sensation of cool summer air on your cheeks
- The sounds of loons, crickets, the wind in the trees, and the lake lapping on the shore
- The blackness of the sky contrasting against the milky way
- A mug of hot tea or apple cider in your hand
- Make a fruit salad and cut up vegetables to keep in your fridge for easy access.
- Bake some healthy breakfast muffins ahead of time instead of going for the fast food variety in the morning.
- Cook batches of whole grain rice, quinoa or lentils in bulk so you can use them for lunches, dinners and salads during the week.
- Salmon Sundays
- Vegetarian Mexican Mondays
- Surf and Turf Tuesdays
- Wild Card Wednesdays (Leftovers)
- Tortellini Thursdays
- Roast Chicken Fridays
- Night on the Town Saturdays
Meditation for the Contemporary, Modern Individual
January 3rd, 2014Hectic careers and busy lives require so much commitment and attention, that we can sometimes forget to take care of ourselves. Taking the time to reset your mind and re-calibrate through the use of meditation can improve resilience, mood and sense of well-being.
Meditation is not only for the yogis and spiritually-centered. In fact, I bet you meditate without even knowing it.
The beautiful thing is that it can be done anyplace and anytime… all you need is 10 minutes. In this entry, I will show you how you can use meditation techniques to diffuse stress, re-focus your emotions, find strength in times of fear and even go on a mini mental vacation… wouldn’t that be nice?
Meditation Exercises for Stress Relief and Relaxation
Meditation works by re-focusing your mind on something else, interrupting your current thoughts and allowing relaxation to occur. Each method below is a variation of this principle.
You can focus on breathing, your muscles and sensations in the body, the present moment, a happy place or a controlled sequence of movements. You don’t have to meditate in the stereotypical “Lotus” Position (legs crossed, palms facing up resting on knees). Any position where you feel comfortable will work.
1. Deep Breathing
This exercise can be done at your desk. Sitting comfortably in your chair with your eyes closed, simply take in deep breaths through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth. Focus intensely on the air entering and exiting your lungs, imagining the air circulating through your body. Think about yourself becoming more and more relaxed with each breath.
2. Progressive Muscle Relaxation
While also sitting comfortable in your chair, this exercise works by tensing and relaxing each muscle in your body, one at a time. Hold the tension for 10 seconds followed by a period of relaxation where you focus on how the muscle feels afterwards. Start with your toes and work your way up to your head. Use deep breathing to help you focus on each muscle becoming more relaxed with each breath. As your body becomes relaxed, so will your mind.
3. Body Scan
Instead of tensing and relaxing your muscles as with the progressive muscle relaxation technique, the body scan requires that you simply focus on the sensations of each part of the body. Start at your toes and work your way up your legs, abdomen and chest, then into your fingertips up to your shoulders, neck and head. Be mindful of any tension you feel.
4. Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a way to distract your mind from thoughts on the past or future. It is a way to bring you to your present reality. This is a great way to diffuse anxiety felt from deadlines, future presentations or past mistakes. One way to do this is to focus on the sensations of your surroundings. Focus on the feeling of the chair, your clothes and shoes, on the ambient noises around you or the temperature. After 5 minutes of this exercise, you should feel more present and more relaxed.
5. Visualization
Visualization works by allowing yourself to focus on appealing scenery of your choice. Sitting relaxed in a chair, close your eyes and practice deep breathing during this exercise. Imagine all the little nuances of your relaxing scene.
As an example, while visualizing yourself stargazing at a cottage, you can also imagine:
Or imagine stargazing in the snow like this guy… what would the sensations feel like?
6. Yoga or Repetitive Exercises
Focusing on the flow of the yoga poses and stretches or the repetitive movement of walking combined with deep breathing can help to relieve stress and help you to relax. In addition, these exercises help to release tension, circulate blood, and improve strength, stability and stamina.
Explore these relaxation techniques to find the one that is right for you. You may find that certain techniques are better in certain contexts. Having a daily stress-reduction routine can improve your sense of well-being and resilience to the stressful moments in life.
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Organic: An Apple by Any Other Name Would Taste as Sweet
December 17th, 2013In the past decade, we have seen a shift towards healthier, greener and more holistic ways of living. Leaving less of an environmental footprint has become a priority. More people are supporting local vendors and farmers, and showing concern for health and the environment. We can even see these shifts impacting the menus at foodservice operations.
In the world of food and foodservice, we see the demand for local home cooking and sustainable organic options. Naturally, organic food is better for the environment. Its production excludes the use of synthetically compounded mineral fertilizers, synthetically compounded pesticides, growth regulators and livestock feed additives such as antibiotics and growth hormones1. Organic products are not just food… they represent an ideology that purports health. This leads to the assumption that organic foods are healthier, and the meaning of “healthier” to a lot of people includes “more nutritious”. I am here to tell you that you can buy your conventional apple, worth a dollar less than the organic kind, and still reap the nutritional benefits within that apple. However, foodservice operations may opt to pay a little more for organic produce if it means improving patient satisfaction.
The organics movement started in the 1940’s as a reaction to the Green Revolution. This was a time when mass agriculture production methods and the associated use of pesticides, fertilizers, hybrid seeds and mass irrigation methods were highly valued. Over the years, the concept of organics spread to all aspects of consumerism; from food, to furniture, clothing and beyond. Organics truly is a lifestyle held dearly by many who are concerned for the environment.
“Consumers of organic food appear to have similar beliefs that organic or local food is healthier, more wholesome and tastes better. These individuals also share concerns for environmental protection, food safety, animal welfare, and support local economies and civic agriculture”. (2)
The belief that organic foods are more nutritious is extrapolated from the idea that organic foods are healthier for the environment…which they are. This is called the ‘health halo effect’, which is when an object or idea is given overall positive branding based on one positive attribute. Unfortunately, research to date shows that evidence is lacking with respect to nutrition-related health effects from consumption of organic foods compared to conventional foodstuffs. (3)
Here are some things you should know about organic and conventionally produced foods:
Scientific evidence to date cannot support or refute the belief that organic food has a higher nutritional quality than conventional food. (3)
Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) are the maximum amounts of residue that can be present in consumed foods that will pose no health risks if eaten every day over the course of a lifetime. MRLs are established in Canada for antibiotics and pesticides. These regulations are strictly enforced to ensure conventional foods are safe to eat. (1)
Organic farming techniques such as crop rotation and the use of manure as a fertilizer are also often used in conventional farming. There has been a 52% reduction in pesticide use by Ontario farmers over a twenty year period. (1)
Conventional milk and cheese produced in Canada do not contain antibiotics. If any batch is found to have ANY antibiotic residues, the batch is dumped and the farmer is steeply fined. (4)
The nutritional differences between conventional foods and organic foods are negligent. In addition, production of conventional produce is strictly regulated in Canada to make sure these foods are safe to eat. If nutrition quality and price are your main concerns when choosing produce, there is no harm in reaching for the conventional kind. However, if your foodservice operation or your clients and patients are concerned with helping the environment through supporting sustainable and organic farming methods, then you can do your part by buying organic produce from local farmers and other producers. I am sure your patients will love it too!
References
1. Practice-Based Evidence in Nutrition (2013).Organic Foods Background. Dietitians of Canada.
2. Pelletier, J.E., Laska, M., Neumark-Sztainer, D., Story, M. (2013). Positive Attitudes towards Organic, Local, and Sustainable Foods are Associated with Higher Dietary Quality among Young Adults. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 113: 127-132.
3. Practice-Based Evidence in Nutrition (2013). Organic Food Evidence Summary. Dietitians of Canada.
4. Practice-Based Evidence in Nutrition (2013). Food Safety – Antibiotics Background. Dietitians of Canada.
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An In-depth look into Food Labels
November 15th, 2013Grocery shopping can be a decision nightmare with all the food labels to decipher. This email will expose and decipher some of those cryptic claims to hopefully make you a more savvy grocery shopper.
No Preservatives
Preservatives are added to foods to extend the shelf life of the product. Some preservatives are natural, such as citric acid (in lemons), ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and acetic acid (vinegar), and some are chemical such as sodium metabisulfite. Preservatives are regulated by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Some people make a choice to choose foods without chemical or natural preservatives. However, when a label says “no preservatives”, this does not include sugar and salt. Make sure to read the labels carefully to prevent choosing “preservative free” foods that may be higher in salt and sugar than you would desire.
Organic
Organic food labels provide insight into the way in which the food was produced. Organic foods are produced in the most natural way possible, without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides or without the use of antibiotics or hormones. Foods with multiple ingredients can be labeled as organic if they contain 95% organic ingredients. There is no evidence that Organic foods are nutritionally superior, although they may seem that they are more nutritious. Therefore, be mindful that organic cookies, ice cream and chocolate are still cookies, ice cream and chocolate.
Gluten-Free
Individuals with Celiac disease must avoid foods containing gluten, as this causes intestinal inflammation. Individuals who have gluten sensitivity should also avoid gluten. Gluten is a protein found in wheat, spelt, barley and rye. It is what gives the dough of these grains an elastic texture once kneaded with water.
Gluten-Free has become a phenomenon in the food world, giving wheat a bad reputation. Some people are under the impression that going gluten-free can help with weight loss. Calorie for calorie, gluten-free diets won’t lead to weight loss compared to diets containing gluten. However, they may reduce bloating if you have underlying gluten sensitivity.
Percent Daily Value
The Percent Daily Value is a tool to help you make decisions about which foods/brands to choose based on nutrient content. Rather than looking at the amount of a nutrient in terms of grams or milligrams on a nutrition facts label, pay attention rather to the Percent Daily Value. A small amount of a nutrient is considered less than 5%, a lot of a nutrient is considered more than 15%.
Aim for less than 5% of:
– Total fat
– Saturated fat and Trans fat
– Sodium
Aim for more than 15% of:
– Fibre
– Iron
– Calcium
– Vitamin A
Using Food Labels to help you choose foods that meet your dietary needs can be challenging. Hopefully this information will make your decision making a little easier. For more information on nutrition labels, you can visit the following websites:
Health Canada: www.hc-sc.gc.ca
Eat Right Ontario: www.eatrightontario.ca
Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Guide to Food Labeling and Advertising
Meal Planning for Busy Lifestyles
November 8th, 2013Eating healthy can be a challenge for individuals who have a lot on their plate. It is easy to resort to convenience foods or dining out because you think you may not have time for cooking and planning meals. The idea of cooking to a lot of people means spending hours in the kitchen every night. I am here to tell you that being organized with meal planning and incorporating efficient cooking methods into your weekly schedule can make all the difference in healthy eating!
Below is a list of suggestions to help you make healthier choices easier to manage in the hustle and bustle. Choose one or two suggestions that you think you can manage. Being perfect is not the goal… doing our best is.
1) Choose a day in the week (Sunday works for a lot of people) where you can take the time to prepare healthy foods ahead of time to make meal-making convenient during the week.
2) Make your own list of delicious healthy recipes and plan out your dinners ahead of time for the week. This will help to prevent those last-minute fast food decisions that are made when you get home and realize that you haven’t thought about what you are going to have for dinner yet.
Use your meal plan to make buying groceries a once a week, one stop shop. Try:
With your weekly menu, try to find ways of dual purposing the cooking. For example cook extra whole grain rice on Sunday so it can be used for dinner that night and also for vegetarian Mexican on Monday. Have leftover pasta from Thursday as a side with your roast chicken for Friday.
3) Make healthy snack options available at work. Organizing a communal healthy snack shelf is not only a great way to have healthy snack options available at work, but also a way to share new healthy foods.
4) Cook extra food at dinner time so you have nutritious food to eat for lunch. This is a popular strategy to ensure a healthy lunch and save on food costs too! If the leftovers consist of meat and carbs (rice, potato, pasta), just make sure to balance out your lunch with some fruits and vegetables.
These are a few ways to help you plan healthier meals into a hectic lifestyle. It’s important to find the methods that work best for you!
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