Out with the Old and in with the Real

2011 was said to be the year of nutritionism. Nutritionism, it's the act of glorifying or demonizing a
particular ingredient or aspect of food itself. In other words, looking at simply one slice instead of
the whole pie. To some, this may not seem like such a bad idea. Navigating the grocery aisle today
can require a degree in chemistry, and so singling out one ingredient could be simplifying the choice
between healthy and junk for some consumers, right? Wrong. It's why dietitians will say food first,
supplements second. It's why eating a balanced and varied diet in healthful foods has been shown to
reduce risk for chronic diseases, rather than taking a supplement cocktail. It's because you are getting
more than just food.

For 2012, predictions say it to be a year of getting back to whole and natural foods. Out with nutritionism and in with farm to fork. It's thought that in the coming year, more people will be buying whole and making more foods from scratch while reclaiming family meals at the dinner table too. Even the big giants are already on the bandwagon for this trend. At the end of December you probably came across a blog post from an Ontario nutritionist which garnered a lot of media attention. It really wasn't anything new, but she posted online what was claimed to be a McDonald's cheeseburger bought back at the end of 2010. Left on the counter for one year, it had no visible signs of decomposition and except for some dryness, it resembled one just 'freshly' purchased from the store. McDonald's advertisements this month are set to start a new campaign telling the story of their food, from 'farm to fork'. There are a few videos online showcasing their potatoes - "They're good now. Just wait 'til they're McDonald's fries." According to the Globe and Mail, it has many people upset. Franken-food, farmwashing, and from 'farm to lab' are a few of the f-words people have been using.

My advice for 2012 is be a little more skeptical about the food you eat. Just because a healthful
ingredient, word or sentence is added to our food or it's packaging doesn't make it that much better for us than the real deal. Does a lot of added fibre trump the high sugar content? I'm not so sure. What
I do know is singling out one particular aspect of food and glorifying it certainly isn't better for our
health. (Sugar) water with added vitamins and minerals, chocolate covered granola bars and rainbow
cereals with added fibre, and last but not least boxed mac and cheese with veggies like cauliflower. If
something seems to good to be true, unfortunately sometimes it is. If anyone is a fan of Jamie Oliver's
Food Revolution, you may have seen an episode involving him encouraging school age kids to prepare their own ice cream sundae while shortly after visually demonstrating to kids exactly where some of the ingredients actually came from. Bug secretions, human hair, duck feathers, etc. It's highly
educational and worth the watch. Plus, for anyone needing a little more motivation to keep some foods off the table for new year resolutions it might just do the trick!

With all the nutrition and health misinformation out there, it can certainly be tough to know fact from
fiction. Stay tuned for the month of March, which is Nutrition Month here in Canada. For the last two
years healthy eating information was focused on Farm to fork initiatives and this year it will be focused on helping Canadians 'Get the Real Deal on their Meal'.

As seen in The Telegram January 9, 2012 

New Years Resolutions

    

Nearly two thirds of people make New Year resolutions or have made resolutions in the past. Of the
resolutions made in recent years, 30% are related to diet, weight and/or health. A lucky 20% of people will stick it through and see significant, long term change. And the other 80%? It's usually a mix of stating a resolution but not seeing it through, or attempting to create change and eventually reverting back to old ways. So how can you have a successful and healthful New Year you ask? Below are the tried, tested and true ways to get yourself on the 2012 path to success for eating and living well. Think SMART. It stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. If you can keep these factors in mind when setting a goal you're one step ahead of the rest. It's much easier to stay motivated and feel a sense of accomplishment if you are working towards something.

Be sure to strive for something that can be easily obtainable within say one month. And pick only one thing to change at a time and go from there, as change can sometimes be difficult. Suppose you may want to eat the daily recommended servings of fruit and vegetables, or lose 5lbs. It's may not sound like much, but these are good goals. Speaking from experience, it's the small, manageable steps people make that usually end up becoming habits in the long run. A good example of a small smart resolution would be over the next two weeks transitioning from a double double every morning to a medium coffee with just one milk. It doesn't seem like much, but over the course of a year calorically speaking this alone you could save you roughly14 lbs! When you achieve your healthy eating goal determine another and be sure to set your sights a little higher.

New Year resolution tip #2 is to be more aware of what goes into your body. Think of your body as a
car. When you put gas in a car it runs well, but if you put something else in there which doesn't belong it likely won't go very far. It's no different for our bodies and what we eat. When it comes to food try and keep temptations at bay. This is certainly challenging any time of the year, but especially so after the holidays. Remove tempting foods from the refrigerator and pantry, plan meals ahead for the week, make a grocery list for these meals based on the foods you already have on hand, and buy only what you need. When going for something to eat ask yourself if you have a heart or stomach hunger.

A stomach hunger, is when you are truly physically hungry, but a heart hunger is more an emotional
desire for food. Feed the hunger, hold off on the desire. If you need even more motivation place a
reminder in a frequented spot. A motivator could be the picture of the bathing suit you'd like to buy
for that spring vacation, a photo of your former self, or some key words to help inspire you to see your resolution through. A food journal is also a good way to help you become more aware. Not only
can this help you recall everything you eat, but you can also use it to record how you feel when you
ate something. This works for two reasons. One, because people who write down what they eat, are
usually more accountable for what they are putting in their bodies and two, because they are probably
going to review it later they will be prone to eating less.

My third offering of advice is the simple saying two heads are better than one. Whether it's a goal to
lose weight or eat better, doing it with a friend increases your chances of success that much more than
if you were to do it alone. The other benefit here is that because this resolution is so popular you are
quite likely to know at least one other person with this goal in mind who can be your buddy. If you
haven't made a resolution yet, it's not too late to grab a friend and set a smart resolution. All the best
for health in 2012!

As seen in The Telegram January 2, 2012