Cooking for the Heart

Everyday Tips

    Use vegetable oils instead of butter and margarine when needed.

    Rather than using store-bought salad dressings, make your own dressings at home using olive oil, lime juice, pepper, and a little bit of salt (and honey if you'd like).

    Cut down on salt by adding freshly squeezed lime or lemon juice and fresh herbs for more flavor. Let people add salt to the food themselves if they really need it.

Limit red meats to once or twice a week and substitute them with white meat and fish instead.

Season and marinate fish and/or meats with a spoonful of oil, a little salt, pepper, lime/lemon juice, herbs and spices. Then grill or bake in the oven instead of frying or cooking on the stove. Doing this will keep most of the nutrients and flavour of the food, and at the same time cuts down on the quantity of oil you use.

Try to use more fresh vegetables in your cooking instead of canned ones. Canned foods contain extra salt and preservatives.

During any free time you have, try to chop up fruits and vegetables. You can eat these as a snack instead of snacking on pre-packaged and unhealthy, store-bought snacks.

Instead of frying vegetables like zucchini, eggplant, sweet potato, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. season them with olive oil, a bit of salt, pepper, lemon or lime juice, garlic powder and paprika, and grill them in the oven for 15-20 minutes until they are tender-crisp. This will make the vegetables flavourful, and it will keep all the nutrients there. You can boil or steam the vegetables as well.

Healthy Eating for Children

Everyday Tips

Have fresh fruits and vegetables cut when they get home from school. They will be hungry, and if that is what is available to them, they are more likely to start eating it.

At the dinner table, have a fresh salad cut, or raw vegetables cut and placed with all the other food. Encourage everyone to have a little bit of those foods.

Teach your children about the fruits and vegetables they eat. Mention to them the nutrients that they get from different foods, and what things different fruits and vegetables are good for. For example, teach them that carrots will keep their eyes healthy. Broccoli is helpful when they get hurt and their bodies have to repair. Don’t force them to eat those things, but help them learn more about them so that they understand which foods are healthy for them.

Keep healthy foods in the car when going on long drives. Keep easy snacks on hand, like carrots, yogurt, water, apples, etc. so that you don’t have to rely on fast food restaurants.

Experiment with different types of dips. This may make eating fruits and vegetables easier for your children.

Sneak things in! Some things can be added to your meals without anyone even noticing. Some great examples of such nutritious foods are:

• Chia seeds
• Flax seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Ginger and garlic

Get your children involved with cooking or the preparation process. If they get involved, they will be more interested in eating what you’ve cooked. If they’re old enough, have them be involved in the shopping process as well.

Bring less snack foods home. This may require cutting back very gradually. If certain foods are not bought and are not available at home, they won’t be able to eat them.

Be a good role model. If they see you developing healthy habits, they will be more likely to follow along.

Finally, try to make eating healthy fun for children. Here are some ideas:

Eating Out

Everyday Tips

Eat a snack at home so that you’re not feeling famished when you get to the party or to the restaurant. You may be able to better control your impulses.

Have a big glass of water 20-30 minutes before your meal. You will be more likely to feel fuller faster.

If your order of food is large, ask for a take-out container at the very beginning of the meal. You can put half of it in there and have the other half to eat then. This may prevent you from over-eating.

At restaurants, salads often come with dressing already mixed in. Dressings can be a source of false calories, and they can often be high in sodium and sugars. There may also be more dressing in the salad than you really need. Ask them to serve the dressing separately, and you can add it in as you eat. In fact, you can get all condiments on the side, including ketchup, mustard, spreads, etc.

A lot of restaurants now make their menus available online. Many of them also share nutritional information about their menu items (i.e. calories, sodium, fat, etc.). If you know where you will be eating, try to check the menu ahead of time to see which options are healthy. Look for options that are HIGH in fibre, protein, vitamins and minerals, and that are LOW in fat, sodium, and sugar.

Avoid the juices, sweet drinks, pops and iced teas. Choose water instead.

Try to share meals or desserts, if possible. Portion sizes are sometimes large enough for more than one person.

Ask how foods are cooked and prepared. You can ask if things are fried, baked, steamed, broiled, etc. This can help you decide which options are the healthiest. Foods that are breaded or fried can add extra unhealthy calories and can easily be avoided.

If your meal comes with a side option, choose the salad or steamed vegetables instead of the fries.

Grocery Shopping

Shopping Tips

 1: Make a shopping list before you get to the grocery store.

You’ll be more likely to buy what you need, instead of things that are not necessary. It will also help you stay within your budget.

2: Try not to shop when you’re hungry.

Research has shown that people who shop when they’re hungry tend to spend more money.

3: Try to spend more time on the periphery of the grocery store.

At grocery stores, the most important and healthier items are usually on the periphery or the sections along the walls. That is where you will find your fresh fruits and vegetables, your meat and poultry, breads, dairy products, eggs, etc. Spend most of your time there. Spend less time in the middle aisles buying things like chips, cookies, canned soups, etc.

4: Try to limit certain types of foods, including:

Frozen Foods

Frozen meals are usually very high in sodium and fat, and contain a lot of preservatives to make them last a long time. Their ingredients might not be the same as freshly made meals.

Examples of South Asian foods to try to avoid:

Samosas, kachodis, pakoras, etc.

Examples of western frozen foods to try to avoid:

Frozen pizzas, ready-made microwavable meals, spring rolls, chicken nuggets, poppers and mozzarella sticks, etc. 

Not all frozen foods are unhealthy. When you’re buying frozen fruits and vegetables, make sure that there aren’t any other added ingredients in the packet (like salt or sugar or any  other chemicals). If you need to buy frozen burger patties, compare nutrition labels and try to buy ones that have the least sodium and fat.

Fried Snack Foods

These foods have a lot of salt and fat, and not enough nutrition in them. Many of them are empty calorie foods, because you may not feel full after eating them. It is especially important to keep some of these foods away from children. You must try to set a good example for them, and show them how to eat well. If your children get into unhealthy eating habits now, they will have a hard time breaking these as they get older.

South Asian fried snack foods include:

Samosas, pakoras, murruku, mithaai, cutlets, bhondas, laddoos, mithaai, vadas, mutton rolls, etc.

Examples of fried western snack foods to try to limit are:

French fries, onion rings, spring rolls, chips and other similar items, popsicles, candy, pastries, microwavable popcorn (which usually contains a lot of salt and butter), etc.

Of course, everyone needs snacks! Some examples of healthy ones can include: 

Vegetables and hummus or dip, granola and protein bars, unsalted mixed nuts, fruits, yogurt, cottage cheese, dark chocolate, kale chips, guacamole and salsa. Popcorn can be a healthy snack as well, as long as it doesn’t have a lot of butter and salt added to it. Remember that some of these still can be unhealthy, so you must check the nutrition labels to pick the healthiest ones.

Processed Foods

Processed foods tend to have a lot of salt and fat, and a lot of chemical preservatives to help them last longer. Try to eat more fresh foods, and cook things from scratch as much as possible. 

Processed South Asian foods to try to limit include ready-made and packaged microwavable curries. Examples of other foods are certain pasta sauces with high salt and fat content, canned soups, cereals that are high in sugar, etc.

Processed foods that are alright to buy and eat in moderation include hummus, guacomole, low calorie dressings (for example, vinaigrettes), some crackers and cheeses, low fat and low sodium snacks.