“Best Food Forward” Promotes Tips For Healthier Eating

Apr 04, 2013

With March being Nutrition Month, Saman Iqbal, the registered dietician at the Sharbot Lake Family Health Team, was putting her best food forward. In order to share her know-how with those seeking to improve their everyday eating habits and overall health, she gave a special presentation at the Sharbot Lake Medical Centre on March 20, which focused on practical tips on how to improve your everyday eating habits.

The presentation included tips on navigating the aisles of the local grocery store; meal planning; how to choose healthier products by shopping for a more balanced diet; and how to decipher food labels. All of these can be difficult tasks, especially for those with time, budget and dietary constraints.

Saman explained how important it is to avoid the bad fats, high sodium and sugar and how to plan and prepare homemade meals based on healthier ingredients that are readily available. The workshop included a virtual grocery tour, a copy and overview of the Canada Food Guide, hand outs about deciphering labels, plus a healthy homemade lunch of chicken and veggie wraps with a frozen yoghurt berry dessert, all prepared by Saman herself. “Choosing healthier options from the start is the first avenue to healthier eating and a healthier life style, which can greatly reduce risk of diseases”, Saman said in an interview before the presentation. “We will be looking at what foods offer the good stuff, like vitamins and fibre and how to avoid the less healthy prepared food options, which can be high in saturated fats, sodium and sugar. With the food guide we will be looking at the numbers in order to be better able to discern what are the better choices to make.”

Saman also planned to give concrete examples, like the difference between canned soups and homemade, and the benefits of choosing healthier prepared cereals like shredded wheat and those higher in fibre instead of others that offer very few nutrients. For those who missed the presentation, Saman is available to give one-on-one dietary sessions to those looking to improve their dietary habits. She can be reached by calling the Sharbot Lake Medical Centre at 613-279-2100.