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Health: Prepare now to stay healthy for fall

Summer sees most of us more active outdoors and snacking on antioxidant-rich berries. So how can you sustain these healthy habits moving forward into fall? The Courier spoke to a local personal trainer turned dietician for her top tips.
Vashti Verbowski
Dietitian Vashti Verbowski recommends simplifying healthy snacking by preparing snacks in advance. Photo Dan Toulgoet

Summer sees most of us more active outdoors and snacking on antioxidant-rich berries. So how can you sustain these healthy habits moving forward into fall? The Courier spoke to a local personal trainer turned dietician for her top tips.

Fruit fix
Vashti Verbowski, a.k.a. Your Kitchen Dietitian, recommends snacking with the seasons, eating apples and pears in the fall. Slice up fruits ahead of time so you can snack on them as you would berries or add a dollop of peanut butter to apples.

“I’m not a morning person myself,” the dietitian of five years conceded. “I chop things up the night before… If you stirred in a teaspoon of lemon juice that would just keep it from going brown and a little bit fresher for longer.”

Veg injection
When seasonal fruits have spoiled and salads no longer suffice, eat soups abundant with leeks, onions, beets and squash.

Salt hit
For those who crave salt, Verbowski recommends eating nuts, unsalted or lightly salted, for a somewhat crunchy snack. She recommends pre-portioning quarter cups of nuts in little baggies.

Crackers with humus, vegetable with humus or oil and vinegar dressing can satisfy a salt craving along with salsa and 15 to 30 low-sodium tortilla chips.

“Pre-portioning it, that’s the key,” she said. “If you sit there in front of a really large bag then it’s harder to control yourself whereas if you take a bowl, put a handful of chips in the bowl and then pack the bag away it’s fine to have them.”

Verbowski recommends checking the percentage of daily value of sodium on food labels and choosing foods that contain 15 per cent or less sodium.

Sugar fix
“Prevent [sugar cravings] before they start,” Verbowski said. “Eat regular meals to keep yourself well fed throughout the day… If you skip meals, your body will crave energy, which usually comes in the form of sweet cravings.”

People with a sweet tooth should choose naturally sweet foods first, such as fresh fruit or sweet red bell peppers.

“If you’re really craving chocolate, ice cream… keep the portion size in check, like one or two squares of dark chocolate (dark chocolate because it is more flavourful and a smaller amount can be more satisfying),” she said. “I have special dishes for ice cream that only fit half a cup so that makes it easier to portion control.”

Those watching their weight should choose a snack of 100 calories.

Your mood and food
As daylight hours wane, so can buoyant moods. Eating breakfast and a meal every four to six hours is key.

“Anyone who feels a bit of a slump in the fall with their mood, one thing they can do is be consistent with their own [food] intake,” she said.

Kids and snacks
Involve kids in making their own meals and snacks.

“They’re more likely to eat it and they’re more likely to enjoy it if they had a part in making it,” Verbowski said.

Healthy options include:

  • A cheese and veggie wrap.
  • Humus or chickpeas roasted in the oven with olive oil and a little salt and pepper.
  • Yogurt and fresh fruit or Greek yogurt with a sprinkling of cereal and fruit.

Need for speed
Chopped fruits and vegetables can be bought for a premium by the cash-rich but time-strapped.

“If time is short, that’s all the more reason to get the kids involved,” she said. “Soon enough, as they get older, they can do it themselves.”

Verbowski recommends choosing a specific time to prepare multiple lunches and snacks.

Inspiration
A new smartphone and iPad app called Cookspiration, which was created by Dietitians of Canada, provides recipes that work for kids, on busy days and after exercising complete with nutritional information.

Exercise
Plan the physical activity you’ll continue once the weather turns.

“Some research shows that some people don’t necessarily reduce how much they eat when they decrease their exercise,” Verbowski said.

Lunchtime walkers can stash an umbrella and an extra pair of shoes at work, new cyclists can invest in a rain jacket and others might want to join a gym for the winter months.

“Take advantage that you have some healthy habits from the summer,” she said. “If it’s become part of your daily lifestyle, don’t lose it.”

crossi@vancourier.com
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