YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS HAVE FAILED — NOW WHAT?
Buy a kitchen whiteboard, write “lentils” on it and take a few extra bucks to the grocery store
It’s suddenly the end of January, the time of year when so many resolutions and great intentions come screeching to a halt. Remember the cleanse you planned to start? The 30 days of yoga you committed to? If you’re like most people, they’re probably long gone by now. Instead of feeling bad about yourself, let’s look at some real (and realistic) changes that you can make today that will help you to be healthier for the coming year — and save you a few bucks while you’re at it.
Get pulsing
If you’re a lentil lover, it’s time to celebrate: the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has dubbed 2016 the International Year of the Pulse. No idea what a pulse is? You probably do without realizing it: pulses are the edible portion of leguminous crops, such as lentils and chick peas (exceptions are legumes that are harvested while still green, like peas and green beans — they are considered vegetables).
Nutritionally, pulses are powerhouses: a 3⁄4 cup serving of many cooked pulses are good-to-excellent sources of heart-healthy potassium and magnesium, folate (important for healthy red blood cells, and prevention of birth defects), iron and zinc (important for a healthy immune system). On top of that, you’ll pick up megadoses of fibre and plenty of protein (about 10 grams each, per serving).
If you’re a pulse neophyte, keep it simple: choose lentil soup for lunch, or add a handful of beans to vegetable or meat-based soups. You can also try hummus as a sandwich spread instead of butter or mayo, or bring it with some veggies for an afternoon snack. The more advanced pulse-preparer can experiment with soaking their own beans (just make sure you discard the water when you’re done) to make bean soups, curries, burritos, or dals. You can even use pulse-derived flour, such as chick pea flour, or pureed lentils in baking.
Pick up a kitchen whiteboard
What does a whiteboard have to do with nutrition? Everything. A wellsituated whiteboard (or chalkboard, or large notepad) has the potential to become everything from your meal-planning hub to your grocery list and personal reminder space. Take 10 minutes on the weekend to plan your meals for the week: It can go a long way to improving the way you and your family eats. When you know what you are having for dinner, you can make small but important changes to your routine, such as taking out the chicken for tomorrow’s stir-fry, or remembering to pick up a forgotten ingredient on the way home.
Having a place to organize your meals can also translate to less waste. Instead of routinely picking up food that might end up unused, you’ll know exactly how much to get. Broccoli might be good for you, but why buy it if it’s not on the menu?
Eat your greens
Everyone knows vegetables are healthy, but dark leafy greens befuddle many of us. What, exactly, do you do with Swiss chard? And why bother with bok choy? No matter whether you’re talking chard, choy, kale, or collard greens, the cooking method is strikingly similar: simply wash, then chop into roughly bitesized pieces (about 1 inch by 1 inch, give or take). You can keep the stems, or if they’re very tough (as is the case with some varieties of kale), you might prefer to remove them — your preference.
Turn your frying pan onto medium heat, add a glug or two of your cooking fat or oil of choice (butter, olive oil, or coconut oil all work well), and sauté 1⁄2 cup to 1 cup (125 mL to 250 mL) of diced onions until they are soft. Add the greens, some diced or crushed garlic, and stir-fry until the leaves are soft and wilted. You can add a touch of lemon, red wine, or apple cider vinegar if you’d like. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
Bump up your food budget
We all know the story of the $7 cauliflower. As a result of the falling Canadian dollar, many foods, especially imported produce, have jumped in price in recent months, and the Food Institute in Guelph, Ont., estimates that rising prices will increase spending for the average Canadian household an extra $345 per year in 2016.
While food price increases can be a serious concern for millions of Canadians who struggle with food insecurity, it is also a fact that many of us spend less of our monthly budgets on food than we did just a few decades ago. While so many of the things we spend our money on are not essential to our health or survival, food is. When planning out your budget, tuck a few dollars away each month for healthy food — it might mean fewer lattes each week, or waiting a little longer to pick up that coveted new coat or computer, but healthy, nutritious food is an investment worth making.