Waterloo Region Record

Bake your way to Less food waste

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Canadians are the second worst food wasters in the world. Fresh fruits and vegetables are one of the biggest problems, going from “just right” to overripe overnight. To use up extra fruit, food waste expert Jean-Francois Archambaul­t recommends thinking hot or cold. When fruit is about to go bad, dehydrate them in a hot oven and add to a granola. Or, freeze overripe bananas and create this moist banana bread to enjoy when family and friends are over. (NC)

The first type of hunger is body hunger, which is a physiologi­c need for food. This type of hunger is regulated by hormones in the gut, blood sugar and fat tissues. Strategies to manage body hunger include eating regularly, consuming balanced meals and limiting our consumptio­n of foods high in sugar and fats. The second type of hunger is reward hunger, which is our desire to eat even when we don't feel physically hungry. This type of hunger may include stress eating and emotional eating. Another area of the brain drives the body to use food as a way to cope with stress or other emotions. To manage reward hunger, it is important to identify what triggers it and what actual need the body is trying to satisfy. "Redefining your relationsh­ip with food is one of the keys to long-term success,” explains Sandra Elia, food addiction counsellor. “Do you eat to nourish and energize your body? Or do you use food to achieve a feeling? Eating for comfort or to relieve stress can become problemati­c, but developing healthy coping skills and finding new ways to manage cravings help tremendous­ly.” If you can identify the triggers that cause emotional eating, it's possible to control them. But sometimes will power is not enough. In those cases, there are prescripti­on medication­s available to help control food cravings. Family doctors are able to advise which is the most appropriat­e for their patient. “When used in combinatio­n with lifestyle modificati­on such as reduced calorie diets and exercise, medication­s can help patients lose weight and keep it off,” says Elia.

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