Season of renewal: Six steps to spring clean your diet
It's not just about cleaning your yard or deck this spring. Here are a few tips to clean up your diet as well.
The spring season is a great time to spruce up your plate as well as your health!
Consider your diet and ask yourself a few questions: Am I consuming too much sugar? Are my meals primarily processed? Do I have enough greens in my diet?
Spring is the perfect time to revitalize your diet, feel healthy, and gain the energy you need to enjoy our beautiful warmer months.
Let’s spring clean with dietitian Lydia Knorr and her advice on resetting for the season.
SIMPLE MEALS
Skip packaged meals and cook basic, simple meals using fresh ingredients. Basic whole foods offer more vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients for relatively fewer calories. It might take a little planning ahead, but by making your own meals, you save money as well as the extra calories, fat, sodium, and sugar that often accompany processed meals.
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STAY HYDRATED
Don't forget about your drinks. Skip sweetened beverages. Keep milk, sparkling water, and pitchers of plain water front and centre in your fridge. Add lemon, lime, orange slices, or mint leaves to water for a refreshing drink.
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THINK LIGHT, THINK GREEN
Dubbed the "food of kings" by Louis XIV of France, asparagus has a royal nutritional profile. Low in fat and high in fibre, these tender stalks are a good source of iron, B vitamins, and vitamin C. Asparagus are at their peak from March through June but can be purchased year-round. Delicious roasted, grilled, or lightly sautéed in olive oil and garlic, you can even puree them into a soup. Puréed asparagus soup is a sublime yet simple spring soup. Sauté asparagus with a little garlic and shallot, add some low-sodium broth, and simmer until tender. Purée and season to your taste.
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COLOUR UP YOUR PLATE
Fill half your plate with veggies, one quarter with grain, and the final quarter with lean meats, fish, poultry, or meat alternatives like legumes.
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HEALTHY, HEARTY SNACKS
Plan for healthy snack foods and make sure they're front and centre in your fridge and cupboards. Stock up on fresh snacks, such as hard-boiled eggs, cut veggies and fruit, bean dips, and plain yogurt. Keep the cupboards packed with healthier snacks like raw nuts, seeds, and plain, ready-to-pop popcorn. A combo of chia seeds, shelled hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds — packed with protein, fibre and essential fatty acids — help keep you satiated.
GET GLOWING
Topical tonics can work wonders on your face and hair, but locking in bright skin and glossy tresses starts with your diet. A nutrient-dense diet can improve, protect, repair, and stimulate your overall beauty by moisturizing the body from the inside out. Eat inflammation-fighting ingredients rich in omega-3s, such as salmon, walnuts, chia seeds, and avocados—they are packed with good fats that protect and naturally moisturize skin and hair. Along with vitamins A, B, C, K, and iron, they also boost collagen, which adds strength and radiance. Raw nuts like almonds and walnuts are excellent plant-based sources of protein, an essential building block for hair.
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