Tips for Mental and Spiritual Wellness Think Safety Tips
Healthy Eating
Use Canada's Food Guide. Making wise food choices can have long term benefits to your overall heath. One easy way to do this is to follow the suggestions in Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide. Aim for the recommended Food Guide Servings for your age and gender category from each food group every day. To learn more, visit www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide.
Be Well. It is one thing to be "fit" it is another to be "well". Mental wellness comes from our capacity to feel, think, and act in ways that enhance our ability to enjoy life and deal with life's challenges. Mental wellness plays a central role in our overall health and well-being. Think of health and wellness as an integration of physical, mental, emotional, social and spiritual well-being. To truly address wellness is to connect with all of these aspects that bring about overall health. It is great to be fit, it is better to be well!
Get organized. Prepare a weekly meal plan to help you get organized. Include your family in the planning, shopping, and preparation. When you have a meal plan, you will tend to cut down on trips to the grocery store and reduce your dependence on take-out or delivered foods.
Shop Smart. Here are a few tips to help make healthy choices when in the grocery store:
- Make a list of what you need and stick to it.
- Shop on a "full stomach". If you shop when you are hungry, you will be more likely to buy less healthy foods because you are shopping on impulse.
- Use the nutrition facts label to help you determine whether you are making a healthy food choice.
- Fill your cart with whole grain breads, cereals, rice and pasta, fruit and vegetables, milk and milk products, lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs and alternatives.
Create Healthy Environments. Create environments at home, work and play that support healthy eating. At home, stock your cupboards and fridges with healthy food choices. So when you need to "grab and go" you will have healthy choices to choose from. At work, create a snack box in your office and fill it with healthier choices such as rice crackers, canned or fresh fruit and nuts.
Be adventurous. Eat a variety of foods. Try new recipes. To get all of the nutrients you need, enjoy as many different foods as possible from all four food groups in your Canada's Food Guide. To learn more, visit www.healthcanada.gc.ca/foodguide.
Eating out. Here are a few tips to help you make healthier food choices when eating out:
- Look for food that is steamed, baked, broiled, braised, poached, or grilled.
- Limit the little extras. Butter, margarine, mayonnaise, salad dressings, bacon, sauces, and gravy can add a lot more fat and calories.
- Choose regular or decaffeinated coffee, latte or cappuccino made with milk rather than the more specialized drinks.
Don't forget breakfast. Breakfast is an important meal for everyone, especially kids. Eating breakfast can help you improve your concentration, reduce hunger, and maintain a healthy weight. Choose whole grain bread, cereal with milk, fruit and fruit juice, yogurt and yogurt shakes, cheese, or eggs.
Choose vegetables and fruit. Vegetables and fruit are naturally filled with vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants. They help to boost your immune system and keep you strong and healthy. Canada's Food Guide recommends:
- Eating at least one dark green and one orange vegetable each day
- Choosing vegetables and fruit prepared with little or no added fat, sugar or salt
- Having vegetables and fruit more often than juice
Choose grain products. Grain products are our main source of carbohydrates and supply our body with fuel. They provide many vitamins and minerals including thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, iron, zinc and magnesium. Canada's Food Guide recommends:
- Making at least half of your grain products whole grain each day
- Choosing grain products that are lower in fat, sugar or salt
Choose milk and alternatives. Milk and its alternatives provide protein, vitamins A and D, and minerals including calcium, phosphorous and magnesium. Canada's Food Guide recommends:
- Drinking skim, 1%, or 2% milk each day
- Selecting lower fat milk alternatives such as yogurt and cheese
Choose meat and alternatives. Meat and alternatives provide a variety of essential nutrients including protein, iron, Vitamin B and zinc. Canada's Food Guide recommends:
- Having meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu often
- Eating at least two Food Guide Servings of fish each week
- Selecting lean meat and alternatives prepared with little or no added fat or salt.
Drink water. Drink water regularly. It's a great way to quench your thirst. Drink more water in hot weather and when you are very active.
Tips for Mental and Spiritual Wellness Think Safety Tips