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CHN
talks to?
Halifax dietitian Bonnie Conrad, MAHE, P.Dt., Public Health Nutritionist,
Public Health Services, Capital Health, Nova Scotia.
 CHN:
Bonnie, you're a working mother with two small children. How do
women find the time to make nutritious meals for themselves and
their families? We are always in such a rush!
Bonnie:
Time is definitely a barrier. For myself, there are some nights
when I need to be at meetings in the community until 9:00 at night.
Can we still eat well? Absolutely! The most important word is organization.
Every week, you need to sit down and think about the weekly schedule
and what's happening. This tells you how much time is left over
for meal planning.
One thing that
can help is to make three lists of your favourite foods:
- Meals-on-the-run
(meals that take no preparation from things that are stocked in
your fridge, freezer or pantry)
- Quick
meals
(meals that take less than 20 minutes to prepare)
- Make
ahead and freeze meals
(meals that take more than 20 minutes to prepare)
Central to all
three lists is Canada's
Food Guide to Healthy Eating. A good rule of thumb is to cover
4 out of 4 of the Food Groups at main meals and 2 out of 4 Food
Groups at snack time.
On those days
when there is no time to make a meal, try something from your meals-on-the-run
list. For example, reheated pizza with meat, cheese and vegetables
covers all 4 Food Groups. There's nothing wrong with serving a sandwich
or pita bread, hummus, fruit and milk. In our family we call these
our picnic meals. It can be a lot of fun for the children to have
a picnic in the middle of winter. We serve crackers, cheese, pieces
of ham, chicken or beef, fresh fruit, and cut-up vegetables with
a ranch/yogurt dip. Kids love it!
CHN:
So women don't have to feel guilty all the time about meals "not
being good enough"?
Bonnie:
No we don't! I know that eating properly these days can be very
frustrating. No wonder we're confused and guilty! But healthy eating
is a lifestyle choice. We need to eat in order to live, but guilt
takes the pleasure out of eating. Women feel guilty when they focus
on isolated issues-for example eating low fat without realizing
that low fat still means calories! When we go out and buy low fat
cookies just because they say "low fat", we're missing
the point. Once again, we need to think about the whole picture
and that means Canada's Food Guide.
CHN:
What about convenience foods? Are they o.k.?
Bonnie:
Pre-packaged, processed foods are o.k. in moderation. The reason
I say moderation is because they tend to be higher in fat and salt
and lower in fibre. The good news is that there are lots more choices
in convenience foods such as pre-cut carrots, and stir-fry veggies.
Remember, though, that you are paying for this convenience!
CHN:
You're right about "paying for convenience". How do we
eat nutritious foods without spending a fortune at the grocery store?
Bonnie:
We need to get back to basics: good old simple foods just like Ma
used to say! Foods like oatmeal, whole grain bread, pasta and rice.
One of the biggest costs in the winter is the price of fresh fruits
and vegetables. There is nothing wrong with frozen mixed vegetables,
or canned fruit packed in juice. Root vegetables in winter are pretty
reasonable. Go with what's in season. Don't forget good old reliable
milk and homemade milk puddings. For meat and alternatives, throw
a handful of lentils or beans into soup, use beef in a stir-fry
with vegetables and rice. Instead of focusing on meat as the main
part of the meal, use it as a condiment.
CHN:
We've talked about time and money as barriers to healthy eating.
Are there any other barriers for women?
Bonnie:
Support systems are very important. We have to remember that we
are human and it's o.k. to lean on other people. For single women
and single mothers this can be difficult. In Nova Scotia, we are
very fortunate to have dietitians on staff in our large grocery
stores. You can book an appointment with a dietitian who will take
you around the store with your cart and talk about different choices.
This is a wonderful service that is also available in many other
provinces.
CHN:
If women could change just 3 things about how we eat, what should
we do?
Bonnie:
- First and foremost, we need to get back to enjoying good food.
-
Women need to plan ahead (unfortunately!) However, this will save
us time in the long run.
-
We need to get back to the principles behind Canada's
Food Guide: variety, moderation and balance.
Try
two of Bonnie's favourite recipes for meals-on-the-run!
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You will need:
- Pasta
(linguine, fettuccine or penne work fine) - 900
gram package
- Frozen
mixed stir-fry vegetables, or a variety of fresh, already
cleaned and cut - about 2 cups/500 mL
- Whole
baby clams, drained and rinsed 2 cans (142 grams each)
- Garlic
pure (comes in small jars in produce section) -
1 Tbsp/15mL
- Olive
Oil - 1 Tbsp/15 mL
- Parmesan
cheese - cup/60 mL
- Pine
nuts (optional) - cup/60 mL
Prepare
900-gram package of pasta, according to directions.
In the meantime place skillet on medium heat and add garlic
and oil, cook for about 1 minute. Add mixed vegetables (no
need to thaw) and continue to cook covered for approximately
7 minutes. There will be a fair amount of water from the vegetables,
but this will evaporate with further cooking. Add clams and
pine nuts (if using) and continue to "fry" until
vegetables are tender and the clams and pine nuts caramelize,
approximately another 5 minutes. Drain pasta. Serve clam mixture
over pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Sounds like
a lot of work, but guaranteed to be cooked and served within
20 minutes ? but you do have to be organized to have
the ingredients on hand. Serve with a green salad (if on hand)
and cold glass of milk!
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You will need:
- Cheese
(cheddar, mozzarella, etc.) - cut into cubes or wedges
- Leftover
chicken, ham and/or beef - sliced
- Hummus
- good for spreading and dipping
- Whole
grain biscuits or rolls
- Whole
wheat pita bread and crackers
- Lots
of vegetables and fruit (what ever you have on hand, cleaned
and cut up)
- Yogurt
(mix ranch dressing with plain yogurt to make dip for vegetables,
use a fruit yogurt to make dip for fruit)
To prepare
winter picnic, simply clean and cut up all of your ingredients
and place in center of table. Be sure to have small plates
and plenty of napkins. Add a nice cold glass of milk and banana
bread! The kids really like this and it takes no time at all?.
But you do have to be organized to have every thing on hand.
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Article prepared by CHN.
