Office Eating Smarts - Part I

Food for Thought:
The average Canadian employee spends about 40% of their waking time at work...
---------------------------------------

Eating well and staying healthy on the job can be a challenge at the best of times. Here are some strategies for building workplace wellness one bite at a time:  

Bag it - One of the best ways to improve the quality of our diet in the workplace is to bring our own lunches and snacks.  Simple enough, but few of us are actually doing it.

Timing - As a general rule, our bodies require food every three hours or so to help keep metabolism engaged, blood sugar levels stable and mood balanced. Eating regularly also assists in keeping portion sizes in check. Depending on what time you eat breakfast, the amount of food consumed and its complexity, a mid-morning snack may be helpful. More commonly, the longer afternoon stretch between lunch and dinner warrants a snack to maintain physical and mental wellbeing.

A customary workday scenario is to eat lunch around noon and arrive home famished at 7 pm (or later). By that time, our body’s adaptive response prompts us to seek out the quickest form of energy possible (those fast acting carbohydrates): crackers, breads, chips, pretzels or a can of pop to take the edge off. Planning a snack to bridge the long gap between lunch and dinner will help avoid this common starvation response.

What to include - The key is to accompany your carbohydrate choice (fruit, vegetable, whole grain) with a protein and/or healthy fat. Protein and fat require more work for our bodies to break down than carbohydrates, keeping us feeling fuller longer and preventing jags in insulin levels. These foods can also help keep our energy levels balanced and mood stable.  Here are some ideas:

• Almond butter on sliced pear

• Plain yogurt with a sprinkle of walnuts and sliced dried apricot

• Edamame (simply run frozen shelled soybeans under hot water) add a splash of lemon and a sprinkle of sea salt or chili

• Cottage cheese with vanilla, raspberries and sliced banana

• Black bean dip with fresh assorted vegetables

Keep these foods stocked in your fridge and invest five minutes at night getting them ready to bring to work in an insulated bag.

Next Post in Office Eating Smarts: How to avoid the 4pm Crash

Living with Diabetes Seminar - February 3rd

Be sure to reserve your spot early for this free event:

Living Well with Diabetes: February 3rd, 2011 at 7pm presented by Dr. Richard Nahas.

During this free seminar, Dr. Nahas will share the most up-to-date information on how nutrition, exercise, stress management and natural medicines can help you lower your blood sugar, lose weight, safely reduce drugs and insulin and prevent life-threatening complications of Type 2 Diabetes.

LOCATION - Ben Franklin Place - 101 Centrepointe Drive, Ottawa ON ROOM C1


RSVP - Limited seating is available. Contact 613-727-7246 x 114 to secure your spot.

Where's the Beef?

The Globe and Mail is reporting that an Alabama law firm has filed a class action lawsuit against Taco Bell, claiming the restaurant chain misleads its customers about what’s actually in its tacos.


[No, Really?]


According to Alabama news, the lawsuit alleges Taco Bell’s beef doesn’t meet the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s definition of the word, claiming it contains only 36 per cent meat. The rest, it claims is made up of wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodextrin, anti-dusting agent, autolyzed yeast extract, modified corn starch, sodium phosphates, and other non-meat “extenders.”

[Yummm....]

In a prepared statement issued to the news station, the company responded by saying: “Taco Bell prides itself on serving high quality Mexican inspired food with great value.... We deny our advertising is misleading in any way and we intend to vigorously defend the suit.”

[Oh Dear].

Where it All Began

When I first started this nutrition journey, I would spend hours playing around with recipes.  Adding a bit of this, taking away a bit of that, until I finally came up with a list of wholesome ingredients I felt good about putting in my body and my family's bodies.  There was - and still is - plenty of trial and error involved but it’s all part of the fun.  Preserving taste is also an important part of the challenge.  Here is a fairly major re-do of a Martha Stewart original.  You will love the apple slice on top!   

Irresistible Apple Muffins

• 1 Granny Smith Apple - peeled and quartered
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, dash cardamom
• 1/2 cup plump golden raisins
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup orange juice (diluted)

Preheat oven to 400 F


Cut 3 apple quarters into small dice and cut remaining quarter into 12 thin slices for garnish. Mix sugar, flours, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and golden raisins in large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, olive oil and orange juice together. Add wet ingredients to dry mixing only until combined.

Divide batter among muffin cups topping each with an apple slice. Bake until muffins are beginning to brown around edges - 16 to 18 minutes. Let muffins cool slightly and enjoy.