Kale “The Queen of Greens”

Kale has many great benefits. It’s a high fiber vegetable that aids in the digestion and elimination of toxic waste from the body. With nutrients like vitamins, iron, calcium folate and magnesium¹; It’s no wonder why kale is considered a great detox and anti-inflammatory food filled with powerful antioxidants.²

How to Eat Kale

It can be difficult to eat green vegetables at times so it’s best to know different ways of preparing them. Here are some great ways to eat kale with a smile on your face.

Sauté it: Sprinkle some olive oil and a little bit of salt. Cook on low heat for about 5 minutes. The leaf is tougher so don’t worry about it getting soft and losing the nutrients.

5 Reasons why eating healthy is something you can do

          
            

1) Save money
We know you’ve heard a lot of people say that eating healthy is expensive. But guess what, eating out at the university food court is way tougher on you wallet. Being a student means living on a budget, and since your OSAP loans will only take you so far, why not save money AND eat healthy!

2) Time efficient recipes

Think cooking is time consuming? Think again, not all meals have to be banquets. We can show you lots of fast and easy to make recipes that will have your food ready well before you make the trek to a campus foodcourt. Plus it’s a long cold walk, use the extra time to catch up on your social media from the comfort of your warm room.

3) Cooking is easy!

There are tons of easy to prepare recipes that don’t require you to have Martha Stewart genes. You CAN do it! Stay tuned to our blog and let us teach you along the way. You’re gonna have to learn to cook at some point in time, why not start now?

Do you know your food groups?

It is Sunday night and you have a million things due this week.  You have to finish a paper by tomorrow, hand in an assignment by Wednesday and a presentation on Thursday.  As you are organizing your schedule in your head you realize that your stomach is grumbling. You end up having an inner debate with yourself on whether you should try and make something for dinner or go to the nearest take out place which has no healthy options.  You decide that there is no time to make dinner and bundle up to go grab take-out.  Sounds familiar? This is the reality of many University students.  We are busy so we assume we do not have enough time to cook healthy meals for ourselves.  Eating out is not necessarily unhealthy if you’re aware of what you are putting in your body.  Poor nutrition is one of the biggest health issues we face as a society (Goel, 2006).  Selecting proper nutritious food for your body will have long-term effects for your health reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, some types of cancer and diabetes (Nicklas et al., 2001).  In order to become mindful of what we eat, let’s review the Canada’s food guide.

          

     Vegetables and fruit

     A diet that is rich in vegetables and fruit can be of benefit when by reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases and some types of cancers (Health Canada, 2011). They are low in calories and fat. Vegetables and fruit contain important nutrients such as carbohydrates, fibre, folate, vitamin B6, C, A, magnesium and potassium. Their role for human health is prominent, and Canada's Food guide emphasizes the importance of roles played by the nutrients in vegetables and fruit. The nutrients work together to provide overall health benefit (Health Canada, 2011).

     

•          Recommending serving size for students aged 14-18:  females 7;  males 8 (Health Canada, 2011).
•          Recommending serving size for students aged 19-50:  females 7-8;  males 8-10 (Health Canada, 2011).

       *these are different examples of 1 serving size

Grain Products

     Grain products are a great source of fibre and low in fat.  This food group will help you to feel satisfied and also assist in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease (Health Canada, 2011). Grain products contain carbohydrates, fibre, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, iron, zinc, magnesium and potassium. Whole grains are better because they retain the outermost layer which is the source of fibre, so try to eat whole grains instead. i.e. brown rice, millet, quinoa, spelt, whole oats/ oatmeal, whole grain wheat and while rice. It is also important to be mindful of what else is going inside your food other than the grain. Try to limit grain products that are high in fat, sugar and salt (Health Canada, 2011).

      

•         Recommending serving size for students aged 14-18:  females 6;  males 7 (Health Canada, 2011)
•         Recommending serving size for students aged 19-50:  females 7-8;  males 8-10 (Health Canada, 2011).