Cooking with Ease: How to Eat, Drink and Be Energetically Merry

Are you looking for how to ways to keep up your energy during your regular week and throughout the upcoming holiday season? Spice not sugar will make everything nice. And do you also want to start coming home to the wonderful aromas of a meal ready to eat?

How to Eat, Drink and Be Energetically Merry?

“Enjoy great tastes, fun times and a lifetime of good health through daily healthy eating choices where you live, work, learn, and play.” Dieticians of Canada

For top nutritional tips to savour the flavour of the season and how can you avoid the midday slump:

Aim for balanced meals and snacks throughout the day by partnering a protein with carbohydrates. You'll feel full longer and regulate your energy for a longer period of time. Some options? An apple and cheese; peanut butter on whole grain bread or crackers; a handful of almonds and yogurt.

Look to fuel up every three hours to avoid energy slumps and ensure you are at your most productive.
Slow down – even if you don't have a full hour to go out for lunch, take the time to make lunch a priority. Spending a few minutes midday on lunch will give you a much greater return on investment in terms of energy later in the day.
Stay hydrated throughout the day keeping a refillable water bottle with you at all times. A lack of fluids can lead to difficulty concentrating and increased effort for physical work.
Stock your desk drawer with non-perishable foods like canned fruit, canned soup, juice boxes, peanut butter and whole grain crackers. If you have a refrigerator at work, keep it stocked with yogurt, milk, cheese, sliced meats and raw vegetables.
Don't skip breakfast! Grab a piece of fruit. It's easy to eat on the way into work and is the perfect answer for anyone claiming they have no time.
Don't just feed your body, fuel it: Stick with whole foods which are a much better caloric investment.

Registered Dietitian, Wendy Reingold breaks down four different foods and a spice that can help curb anyone’s appetite and save that chocolate bar from adding directly to the hips. They are:

1. Cinnamon
2. Broth-based soups
3. Plain Salad
4. Raw Vegetables and Fruits
5. Portioned Nuts

The spice cinnamon offers great filling options to any drink or food. Adding a stick to coffee or tea and a sprinkle on toast or warm morning oatmeal offers a filling alternative to fatty breakfast foods. Reingold recommends 1 tsp per day as stated by Health Canada.

De-clutter your salad, cut the crotons, raisins and creamy dressings will mean drastically cutting calories. Reingold says to pair it with vinaigrette on the side and this ‘free’ food, as suggested by the Canadian Diabetes Association, means you can eat as much as you want and not worry about calorie content.

Other ‘free’ foods garnering unlimited amounts for a nutritious snack are fruits and vegetables. “Fruits and vegetables are the gold medal winners when it comes to all four of your food groups,” she says.

Why do these foods keep you full? Two basic reasons: protein and volumetrics. Choosing protein based foods, including lean chicken, nuts, beans and peanut butter minimize your hunger! Size does matter as volumetrics can be considered the new ‘it’ word. Meaning the amount of food and the volume of the foods eaten are crucial.

Check in with a dietitian for a personalized plan for your eating habits. Some people don’t need a snack, others do. But hey adding a little extra healthy into your diet can go a long way. Small changes can lead to great results. Next time, not sugar but spice will make everything nice.

Kristine Gariepy - Women’s Post – 10.26.2009
Quotes from Schiener and the Dietitians of Canada.

How to return home at the end of the day to a wonderful smelling meal already prepared?

Ease the dinnertime crunch and give yourself the gift of a slowcooker or to someone you love. Easy to use and endless recipes will make your return home at the end of the day to the mouth watering aromas emanating from your home cooker an every day treat.

Everything you need to know about becoming a slow cooker pro is right there. Secrets from the pros, safety and cooking tips plus organizing your kitchen for slow cooker success and more.

Slow cooker recipes

Join their club and start coming home to the aroma of mouth watering meals. Soups, chili’s, stews, roasts, desserts, and much more, can be prepared in advance and cook almost magically on their own. We’re convinced that the slow cooker is one of the most effective time-management tools any family can own. Join now (it’s free), and you’ll be convinced too!

Weekly challenges and opportunities to inspire your slow cooking savvy.

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