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Dieting: What's Normal, What's Not (pamphlet)

"When it comes to dieting, "normal" may not be the best way to be."

Most people want to lose weight at some point in their lives, and want it to be fast and easy. The truth about dieting is harder to swallow.


What's "Normal"

"Who doesn't love a shortcut?"

All those diets that sound too good to be true promise that:
- You'll get an immediate sense of control.
- Everyone will tell you how great you look.
- You'll feel better about your body.
- You'll like yourself better.

The diet business takes advantage of people's desire for a "quick fix" to sell $33 billion work of diet products a year.

What's True

"It takes time to lose weight."

People who lose weight for good do it a little at a time, over a long period.
They:
- Decide they want to change the ways they eat and move. This is different from deciding to "lose weight."
- Set realistic goals. Adding 10 minutes of activity a day is more possible than setting an unreachable weight goal.
- Reward themselves. Appreciating small changes can be a key to make change last.
- Lose a reasonable amount (5 or 10 pounds). Then maintain their new weight for a few months before trying to lose more.


What's "Normal"

"The right diet is out there."

The first diet book was published in 1864 by an English casket maker who claimed that low carbohydrates and daily alcohol were the way to shed unwanted pounds.

Since then, fad diets have come and gone with great regularity. Their inventors are experts at packaging. They make it easy to believe that this time, this particular diet will really work.

What's True

"The diet dilemma."

Most people try to lose weight by limiting their calories, eating only one type of food, or following a rigid food plan. They almost always gain it back because:

- Keeping weight off takes different skills than taking it off.

- Diets make you cranky, tired, moody, and more likely to get sick. So people are eager to get off a diet.

- After a diet, most people go back to the eating and activity habits they had before.


What's "Normal"

"Is food more trouble than it's worth?"

Diets can cause a love/hate relationship with food. Eat this... don't eat that... eat less... eat more... blah, blah, blah. But food can be a very useful tool.

What's True

"Food is a friend, not a foe."

What you eat affects how you look, function, and feel. You'll do best eating foods that contain a lot of nutrients in relation to their calories.

- Eat richly coloured fruits and vegetables. They offer lots of essential nutrients and satisfy your hunger. It's a 2-for-1 deal!

- Eat whole-grain breads, rice, cereals, and pastas. They contain more fiber, vitamins, and minerals than refined products.

- Try nutritious food. Add 1 or 2 new foods at a time, until you have plenty of choices as part of a healthy diet.

- Use hunger to help you gauge when and how much to eat. Stop eating when you're satisfied, before you feel full!


What's "Normal"

"But exercise is such a pain."

Many fad diets don't even mention physical activity. But using the calories you consume is an important part of managing your weight.

What's True

"Your body loves to move and stretch."

You don't have to join a gym, learn a sport or spend all your spare time working to get the activity you need.

- Walk, dance, bike, swim, or do some other activity you enjoy. Start with 30 minutes on most days of the week. To lose weight and maintain it, work up to 60 minutes.

- All activity counts. (According to one study, even fidgiting helps!) Walk when you talk on the phone. Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator. Choose the farthest parking space.

- Notice the feel of your body moving. Enjoy the great sensations!

- Have fun while you're moving. If you like moving, chances are you will (and vice versa).


What's "Normal"

"I have no willpower."

Fad diets that don't work undermine people's confidence after awhile. People who try to lose weight this way, and fail again and again, start to think it's their fault they can't do it.

What's True

"It's possible to feel confident and empowered about food."

Knowing why you eat, how you eat, and what you eat can help you change your weight.

- Why? Being bored, sad, stressed or wanting to celebrate can lead to unconscious eating. Knowing why you're eating gives you more choices.

- How? Do you eat standing up? Quickly? While studying or watching TV? Eating slowly or in smaller meals can make it easier to pay attention to what you eat.

- What? Most people who succeed in losing weight keep track of how much they eat. You can watch portion sizes, say no to second helpings, count fat grams or calories, or stop eating when you're satisfied but before you're full.


Calories
60% of the calories the average American consumes are "nutritionally empty." This means they come from sugar and nonessential fats. This leaves only 40% of total calories to supply all the essential nutrients.


Bonus Points!
Besides helping you lose weight and keep it off, physical activity can lower stress, boost mood, enhance self-esteem and lift depression.


Fat Is a No-No
In the right quantities, fat is helpful, not harmful. In fact, fat:

- Makes you feel full longer.
- Helps you absorb the nutrients in fruits and vegetables. For example, a salad with a little oil helps you absorb more of the nutrients in your veggies.
- Strengthens your immune system.

Remember to:

- Choose nonsaturated fats (found in olive oil, nuts, and avacados). These fats raise HDL (the "good" cholesterol) and are heart healthy.
- Limit saturated fats (found in cheese and meat) and avoid trans fats when possible (found in processed foods).
- Don't overdo. The official recommendation is for fat calories to be 25-35% of the total number of calories you eat each day.
- Watch out for extra sugar and calories in "low-fat" and "nonfat" snacks.


How Much Are You Eating?
Did you know that most people eat 2 - 3 times more than a standard serving and count it as one?

Some examples:

- A deli bagel is about 4 grain servings.
- A quarter-poun hamburger is about 1-1/2 meat servings and 2 grain servings.
- Pasta in a restaurant is about 3 grain servings.

Watching how much you eat is key to managing weight.


The Revenge of the Body
People who diet often have reactions similar to people who are starving:

- Obsessing about food and eating.
- Trouble concentrating.
- Being irritable, selfish and anxious.
- Overeating once they're "allowed" to eat normally.

The body slows down when it's hungry. Your metabolism shifts so you actually need less food to stay the weight you are. So when you eat normally again, you gain weight more easily.

~

The information in this pamphlet is not meant to replace proper medical care. The information is from ETR Associates; I do not claim to own any of the information in this pamphlet.

Restrictive Eating Information (pamphlet)


Do You:

- Frequently skip meals?
- Eat regularly but severely cut back at one or all meals?
- Think about food all the time?
- Spend lots of energy reading about or discussing food-related topics?
- Feel deprived after eating?
- Plan your food intake precisely?
- Use laxatives and/or diuretics frequently?
- Often feel guilty after eating?
- Eat the same thing day after day or meal after meal?
- Have conflicts with family and/or friends over how much or when you should eat?
- Feel dissatisfied with your body?


If you answer "yes" to some of these questions, you may be experiencing some form of restrictive eating.

Restrictive eating can cover a whole spectrum of eating patterns - from occasional disregard of healthy eating to anorexia.

For people with anorexia, weight loss becomes such a focus that their lives, health, relationships and careers can be destroyed.


Who Is At Risk For Restrictive Eating?

Our society puts a great deal of emphasis on body image. Advertising and the media equate certain physical images with happiness and desirability in order to sell products.

Millions of people risk their health to get "the look" they see in ads and the media.

People may be at particular risk if they are:

- Under stress due to family, work, school, or relationships.
- Pressured to look a certain way by others (coaches, employers, partners, parents, friends).
- Unhappy with themselves.
- Looking for ways to control their lives.


Why Is Restrictive Eating a Problem?

- Restrictive eating can change metabolism. This can make maintaining a healthy weight more difficult.

- What begins as a small habit can get worse and result in a more serious eating disorder.

- Restrictive eating robs your body of important nutrients. This, in turn, robs you of energy, strength, and creativity.

- Illness and infection can happen more frequently.

- Eating is often social. Restricting your eating can lead to isolation.


What Can You Do About Restrictive Eating?

Learn About Food
Find healthy ways to nourish and fuel your body for peak performance.

You might need to learn:

- The right food plan for you personally.
- The best mix of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats for you personally.
- How to eat a wide variety of foods each day.
- How to read nutritional labels to maximize your nutritional intake.

Explore Resources
Professional health care providers, counselors and registered dietitians can help.

You might need information on:

- Steps to choose a more realistic, healthier image for yourself.
- How to relax around food.
- How your feelings affect and are affected by your food intake.
- How your self-esteem may be involved in restrictive eating.

Seek Support
Take to friends, family, and caring professionals.

Health care providers, counselors and health educators can help you:

- Explore healthy options.
- Find ways to put your body image and nutritional needs into perspective.
- Break unhealthy habits.

Skipping a few meals here and there isn't necessarily a problem. But if the pattern becomes constant, automatic or disruptive, you need to take a closer look.


What About Food Supplements?

Supplements in the form of pills, powders or liquids are used to try to achieve certain goals. Sometimes people who restrict their intake of food think they can take a supplement (such as a vitamin pill) to cover their nutritional needs. This isn't true.

"Supplement" means "in addition to." Supplements are not meant to be and cannot serve as a replacement for food.

Sometimes people look to supplements for a quick fix to an eating problem. A good rule is, "If sometimes sounds too good to be true, it probably is." If a product promises to "burn away fat" or "build up muscle", steer clear.

Strength, stamina and health come from good nutrition and appropriate activity. You can't buy them in the drug store, health food store, or from a magazine.

Vitamin, mineral, fiber or caloric supplements can be useful in promoting health. But it's best to discuss when and what to use with your health care provider.

Getting too much of a supplement can be much more harmful than not getting enough.


How Can You Help a Friend?

- Emphasize the positive. Point out strengths and compliment talents.
- Be available to listen and to care.
- Don't comment on your friend's (or anyone's) body size, weight loss, weight gain, etc.
- Don't contribute to conversations that focus on food, body size, calories, etc.
- Express concern about the person as a whole. Focus on your concern for his or her health and happiness, rather than specific eating behaviors.
- Don't give advice. Being told what to do or not do can often provoke the opposite response, and your friend may become defensive.
- Remind your friend that people are important because of who they are, not how they look or what they do.
- Encourage your friend to seek help from professionals. Get help yourself if the stress of the situation is affecting you.


Who Can Help?

- Your health care provider is a good place to start. He or she can help you determine if there is a problem and find solutions.

- Registered dietitians can help with nutritional counseling.

- Health educators can provide information to maxamize health and encourage health-promoting behaviors.

- Mental health counselors can help with perspective and change.

- Many communities have classes and groups on nutrition, body image and healthy eating.


~

The information in this pamphlet is from ETR Associates, copyright 1997, and I don't claim to own any of it.

Other Exercise Information and Tips (internet)


http://exercise.about.com/

http://www.bellaonline.com/Channel/c8.asp

http://www.health-fitness-tips.com/newsletters/

http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200013


Google search results: http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=Exercise+information+and+tips&start=10&sa=N

Healthy Smart Choices Guide (pamphlet)


Introduction

If you think healthy eating means giving up all the foods you love to eat, you're mistaken. Chances are, your current eating habits need a tune-up, not a major overhaul!

Some small and simple changes in daily food choices and how you prepare foods may make all the difference that's needed.

That's what this Guide is all about. It shows you how to make some small changes to your normal eating habits to make them healthier.

But first, a word on what healthy eating is all about.

Healthy Eating is Eating Heart Smart

Healthy eating is a way of eating that provides you with all the essential nutrients and helps you reduce the chances of developing nutritional-related diseases like heart disease and stroke.

Besides eating a wide variety of foods, the key thrust of healthy eating today is to cut back on fat while increasingyour intake of foods containing complex carbohydrates and fibre. To do this, you'll need to cut back on higher-fat foods and use less fat in preparing foods.

You'll also need to eat more vegetables, fruit, legumes such as beans and lentils and grain products, particularly whole grain products such as whole wheat bread, whole grain cereals, and brown rice. Not only are these foods naturally low in fat, they give you needed complex carbohydrates and fibre.

Fat: What's Healthy
To understand how the fat in your food and meals compares to a healthy fat intake for a day, use these two benchmarks as a rough guide [see below].

Healthy Fat Intake For a Day
Reduce your fat intake so that 30% of the day's calories come from fat. That is equivalent to:

- 90 grams of fat for the average man.
- 65 grams of fat for the average woman.

Use This Guide to Help You Eat Smart
This Guide zeroes in on how to reduce the fat in your diet by showing you how to make lower-fat choices and reduce the fat in preparing and cooking favourite foods and meals.

It shows you, for instance, how much lower in fat a sandwich will be if it's made with a bagel instead of a croissant. It's a small change but it spares you a lot of fat.

And it gives you tips on how to choose lower-fat meals when dining out in restaurants.

By gradually making the small and simple changes given here, lower-fat eating will become a natural and enjoyable part of your normal-eating pattern.


Breakfast Patterns

It's easy to eat heart smart at breakfast. Many of your favourite breakfast foods such as cereal and toast are naturally low in fat, and are good sources of complex carbohydrates. What's more, if you choose whole grain cereals and bread and eat fruit too, you'll get the added bonus of dietary fibre.

[The following examples are given as the name of the food, followed by the amount of fat in brackets.]

Breads
- Whole wheat toast, 2 slice (0g)
- 1 English muffin (1g)
- 1 bagel (2g)
- 2 medium-sized pancakes (4g)
- 1 small, homemade-type bran muffin (6g)
- 1 large, shop-type bran muffin (11g)
- 2 toaster waffles (11g)
- 1 small croissant (12g)
- 1 Danish pastry (15g)

Toppings:
- Jam or jelly, any kind (0g)
- Syrup, any kind (0g)
- Butter or margerine (8g)

1 tablespoon of:

- Light cream cheese (2.5g)
- Cream cheese (5g)
- Peanut butter (8g)
- Processed cheese, 1 thick slice (8g)

Cereal:
1 cup cereal with 1/2 cup milk:

- Ready-to-eat, most varieties/hot oatmeal:
-- 1% milk (4g)
-- Homogenized milk [3.5%] (7g)

- Muesli:
-- 1% milk (8g)
-- Homogenized milk (11g)

- Granola:
-- 1% milk (23g)
-- Homogenized milk (26g)

Breakfast combos:
- Juice, 1 cup ready-to-eat cereal with half cup of 1% milk, English muffin, lightly spread with margerine and jam, coffee with milk (10g)
- Small bran muffin, 6oz. 1% yogurt, fresh fruit, coffee with milk (10g)
- Half grapefruit, poached egg on one slice whole wheat toast, 2 slices ham (2 oz), 1 extra slice of toast with jam, coffee with milk (10g)
- Ham and cheese omlette (2 eggs, 1oz. each of ham and full-fat cheese), 2 slices buttered toast, coffee with milk (35g)
- Juice, 2 fried eggs, 2 slices of bacon, hash brown potatoes, 2 slices buttered toast, coffee with double cream (44g).

Fast Food Breakfasts
- Low-fat muffin, carton 2% milk (7g)
- Egg/buttered English muffin (14g)
- Egg/English muffin/sausage patty (21g)
- Egg/cheese/sausage on croissant (35g)


Butter or Margerine?

Butter and margerine contain the same amount of fat, but the type of fat is different. Butter's fat is mostly saturated fat. Saturated fat raises blood cholesterol.

Good quality margerines on the other hand, contain mostly unsaturated fat. Unsaturated fat helps lower blood cholesterol, and that's why margerine is often recommended over butter.

Good quality margerines are sold in a tub form, not in stick or brick form. Check for nutrition information on the label.

A good quality, regular margerine will have at least 6 grams of unsaturated fat (polyunsaturates + monounsaturates) per serving (2 tsp).

A light margerine will contain 3 or more grams of these unsaturated fats, but due to its higher moisture content, it is not recommended for baking or frying.


Let's Do Lunch

Making lower-fat choices at lunch can sometimes be as simple as making wise choices when making sandwiches. Look what happens to fat intake when you choose a croissant instead of brea, or when you add a slice of cheese to a ham sandwich.

Notice also that salads are not always lower-fat choices... and that the fat in cream soups can creep up on you.

[The following examples are given as the name of the food, followed by the amount of fat in brackets.]

Sandwich Makings

Breads:
- 2 slices of plain bread, either whole grain or white (0g)
- 1 kaiser/onion bun (0g)
- 1 bagel (2g)
- 1 small croissant (12g)

Fillings:
- 2 thin slices of deli ham [2 oz.] (2g)
- 1 thick slice of processed cheese (8g)
- 2 thin deli slices of swiss cheese (12g)
- 2 - 3 slices of salami (14g)

Fillings:
(mixed with one teaspoon of regular mayonnaise, unless you use light mayo, in which case reduce the total by 7g)
- 1/2 cup water-packed tuna (12g)
- 1 egg (16g)
- 1/2 cup canned salmon (18g)

Toppings & Spreads:
- Any amount of mustard (0g)
- Lettuce, tomato, pepper and pickle (0g)
- 1 tbsp. light mayo (4.5g)
- 2 tsp. of butter or margerine (8g)

Special Sandwiches and Entrees:
- Grilled chicken sandwich [skinless] (7g)
- 1 cup chili (8g)
- B.L.T (bacon, lettuce, tomato) sandwich (15g)
- Grilled cheese sandwich (21g)
- Fried chicken sandwich (30g)
- 1/8 of pie quiche (48g)

Soups:
- 1 cup of broth-based minestrone, chicken, or beef noodle (3g)
- 1 cup of cream-based mushroom, tomato, or chicken (13g)

Salads:
- Tossed salad with 2 tblsp. light dressing (6g)
- Tossed salad with 2 tblsp. regular dressing (14g)
- Caesar salad (20g)

Beverages:
- Tomato juice or any fruit juice (0g)
- Glass of skim milk (0g)
- Glass pf 2% milk (5g)
- Glass of homogenized milk (9g)

Lunch Combos:
- Cup of chicken noodle soup with a ham sandwich (mustard, no butter or margerine] (9g)
- Cup of tomato cream soup with cheese sandwich (21g)
- Tuna sandwich (mayonnnaise, no butter) with a Caesar salad and a glass of 2% milk (37g)


Healthy Additions

Fruit - fresh, canned, dried or juiced, has almost no fat. Eat, drink, and enjoy!

Vegetables too, are almost always fat-free except when fried or served with butter, margerine or cream sauces.

Learn to eat vegetables plain with just a sprinkle of lemon, pepper, or other favourite spices or herbs.


Dinner Decisions

Dinner. It's often the most enjoyable meal of the day... and sometimes the highest in fat. Try lower-fat cooking methods when preparing meats. For example, bake skinless chicken breasts instead of frying breaded chicken pieces.

Watch those serving sizes too. Look at the fat in the large portion of lasagna typically served in restaurants, or a double portion of pasta done in Alfredo sauce.

[The following examples are given as the name of the food, followed by the amount of fat in brackets.]

Pre-Dinner Nibbles:
- Shrimp cocktail with 5 jumbo shrimp (0g)
- Fresh vegetable pieces with 1/4 cup 1% sour cream (1g)
- 10 - 15 tortilla chips with salsa (7g)
- 2 - 3 slices of garlic cheese bread (25g)

Dinner Entrees:
- Baked beans in tomato sauce with 1 cup molasses (3g)
- Spaghetti with tomato sauce and 3 small meatballs (12g)
- 2 one-inch thick slices of meatloaf (12g)
- A single serving frozen entree of Shepherd's pie (13g)
- A single serving frozen entree of lasagna (13g)
- 2 slices of meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy (24g)
- A generous portion of restaurant-style of lasagna (40g)
- 2 cups of homemade macaroni and cheese (46g)

Meat, Poultry and Fish
3 oz. portion cooked - about the size of a deck of cards.

- Chicken breast with no skin (2g)
- Chicken breast with skin (11g)
- Fish [except salmon, trout, mackerel] (11g)
- Salmon, trout, mackerel (8g)
- Sirloin steak (5g)
- Chicken thigh with no skin (5g)
- Pork chop, center loin cut (6g)

Vegetables:
- Any kind, with lemon juice only (0g)
- Vegetables with 2 tsp. of butter or margerine (8g)
- Vegetables with 1/4 cup cheese sauce (12g)

Potatoes:
1 medium size

- Baked, with no topping (0g)
- Roasted and brushed with oil (5g)
- Mashed with homogenized milk, and 2 tsp. of butter or margerine (10g)
- Baked with 1 tbsp. of butter or margerine and 1 tbsp. sour cream (14g)
- 1 cup of scalloped or au gratin potatoes (18g)

Grains & Others
- 1 cup plain rice (0g)
- 1 cup of packaged rice and sauce mix (8g)
- 1 cup of pasta plain or with tomato sauce (2g)
- 1 cup of pasta with creamy alfredo sauce (16g)

Dinner Combos
- Baked sole (small portion - 4 oz.), large serving of plain rice and steamed vegetables with lemon pepper herb, whole wheat roll with 1 pat butter or margerine, and a salad with light dressing (9g)
- Grilled sirloin strip steak (small portion - 4 oz.), baked potato with 1 tbsp. light sour cream, vegetables with squeeze of lemon (10g)
- Stiryfry chicken (2 oz. chicken with 1 tsp. of oil), a variety of vegetables served with a large serving (1.5 cups) of plain pasta, and a whole wheat bun with 1 pat of butter or margerine.
- Sirloin strip steak (large portion - 8 oz.), a baked potato with 2 tbsp. regular sour cream, and vegetables with butter or margerine (24g)

Desserts
- Dish of canned pineapple (0g)
- 1 cup of sherbet (4g)
- 1 cup of frozen yogurt with 2% B.F. [Butter Fat] (5g)
- 1 piece of cake with icing (12g)
- 1/8 of a two-crust fruit pie (18g)
- 1 slice of cheesecake (30g)


[Nikolita edit: This post is incomplete, as I seem to have misplaced this pamphlet and can't find it. If I can find it again, I will finish this post. Sorry!]



~

The information in this pamphlet is from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada Program Development and Subcommittee group. If you have any questions relating to any of this information, please contact your local office of the Heart and Stroke Foundation [Canada only?]. I do not claim to own any of it.

Munch a Lunch [pamphlet]


Hot Meal Ideas
Here are some hot lunch ideas for a welcome warm up to a chilly day. Team these with fruit or vegetables and milk or yogurt!

- Chili and a cornmeal or English muffin
- Stew and a whole wheat roll
- Casseroles
- Spaghetti and meat sauce
- Homemade soup and crackers
- Cheese and macaroni (add a few vegetables in the last few minutes of cooking, grate some cheese and mix it all together)
- Baked beans and cornbread or whole wheat roll


Cool Lunch Ideas
Choose one item from each of the following groups and serve with milk or yogurt.

Meat & Alternatives

- Thinly sliced beef
- Cubes of turkey or ham
- Hard-cooked egg
- Tuna or salmon salad
- Finger-sized meatballs (make ahead and freeze)
- Liverwurst or meat loaf

Grain Products

- Whole grain bread or bun
- Bagel
- Muffin
- Bread sticks (caution for toddlers)
- Pita Bread
- Tortillas
- Scone or bannock

Vegetables & Fruit

- Carrots, broccoli or cauliflower (cooked for young children, raw for older preschoolers)
- Fresh fruit pieces
- Canned fruit


Try Some Different Sandwiches

- Pinwheel Sandwich: Roll the bread and meat up and slice to make pinwheel cocktail sandwiches.
- Banana "Dog": Spread peanut butter in a hot dog bun, then place a peeled banana in the bun. Slice.
- Cheese and Carrot "Pita": Grated cheese and carrots mixed with a little salad dressing in a pita.
- Bean and Cheese "Taco"*: Canned kidney beans, tomato, grated cheese, and a sprinkle of taco seasoning.
- Mini Pizza: Tomato sauce, cheese, leftover meat or vegetables on an English muffin or pita shell. Back and freeze ahead of time for easy packing.

* = These do not hold together well while eating.


Suggestions For Parents
Are you wondering what to send in your child's lunch for daycare? Lunch time is a fun time for the preschooler at your daycare. It's also an important time in terms of nutrition. Fill lunch kits with nutritious and interesting food you know your preschooler will like.

Including Food Groups From Each of the 4 Food Groups Will Make a Nutritious Meal. The 4 Food Groups Are:

- Milk products (ex: yogurt, cheese, fluidmilk)
- Grain products (ex: bread, muffins, cooked rice)
- Vegetables and fruit (ex: broccoli, turnips, kiwi, apricots)
- Meat and alternatives (ex: sliced beef, cooked dried beans, peanut butter)

Involve your child in choosing the food for his/her lunch and in helping with some of its preparation or packing.

Keep variety in mind. Vary things from day to day and season to season. Variety comes in many forms:

- Hot or cold main dishes
- Chewy, crunchy, crispy, and soft textures
- Savoury, sweet and tart tastes
- Traditional and ethnic food
- Different colours or a theme colour (ex: spaghetti with "red" sauce, red apple wedges, red pepper strips)

To help keep food safe until lunchtime:

- Pack soups, stews, chili, spaghetti and other hot main dishes in a wide mouth thermos
- Pack sliced meat or cheese sandwiches frozen (they will thaw by lunch)
- Pack sandwiches next to a container of frozen juice or milk - safe sandwiches, cold milk!
- Send milk in a chilled thermos

Some other tips:

- Don't scrunch the lunch! Pack heavy items at the bottom of the kit (think how your child will carry it)
- Don't pack sweets like candy, fruit/pudding rollups, fruit chews, pop or sweetened drinks. Raisins and dried fruit, while packed with goodness, promote tooth decay unless brushing is possible.


~

The information in this post is from March 2004, and is from Vancouver Coastal Health. I do not claim to own any of the information in this post.

Cheap Eats: Save Money and Eat Well [pamphlet]


Make Your Own - Save Your Dough

- Take lunch, snacks and beverages to school or work - you'll save lots of $$$.
- Make your own salads, sauces and desserts - you know what goes into them and it is cheaper than buying them pre-made.
- Makes batches of granola, soups, casseroles, stews, chilis, lasagnas,... portion out individual servings and freeze for quick meals later on.
- Make your own caffe latte - heat milk and add a spoonful of instant coffee.
- Find new recipe ideas on the internet, in newspapers or old magazines (they are often free at the library), or look on food packages for inspiration.
- Take a look at the foods you need when going grocery shopping - buy them first.


Go Grinch at the Grocery Store

- Go grocery shopping after you have eaten.
- Check for store brands - compare unit prices.
- Stock up on sale items - try something you have never had before!
- Use coupons for foods you usually purchase.
- Share the cost of case-lot or family-size packages with friends - portion out among your group.
- Use bulk bins to buy spices, pasta, rice, dried fruit, nuts... you can purchase just the amount you need.


Shop the Four Food Groups

Grain Products
- Buy day old bread and bakery items - they can always be kept frozen.
- buy plain whole grain cereals - add your own dried fruit.

Vegetables and Fruit
- Buy only the amount you will use before spoilage.
- Buy local, seasonal lfruits and vegetables - they are usually cheaper.

Milk Products
- Buy skim milk pwder to add to casseroles, lasagnas, soups, etc. - you'll get more nutrition per bite.
- Buy cheese you can grate and freeze in an airtight container for later use.

Meat & Alternatives
- Buy tofu, beans, lentils or dried peas to make a cheap meal.
- Buy cheaper cuts of meat... they can be tenderized by marinating or slow cooking in stews or soups.
- Buy utility grades of poultry - they may have a missing part but they are just as nutritious as grade A poultry.


Here Are Some Meal Ideas That Taste Great and Don't Cost Much!

It's a Wrap! Yields 1 serving.
Equipment needed: Pot, grater, can opener.

- 100g refried beans
- 1 tortilla
- 50mL grated cheddar cheese
- 30 mL salsa
- Chopped vegetables (ex: tomato, avacado, bell peppers, mushrooms, lettuce, etc)

Heat refried beans. Warm the tortilla and spread the beans in a line on the tortilla. Add salsa, cheese and vegetables. Roll and enjoy! Create your own wrap.

Penny Pinching Tuna Pasta Yields 1 serving.
Equipment needed: Measuring cups, can opener, 2 pots, strainer.

- 284 mL milk
- 284 mL can of cream mushroom soup
- 213g can of tuna
- 250 mL dry macaroni (or other pasta)
- 250 mL frozen peas
- Salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta in boiling water. Mix milk, soup, tuna and frozen peas in seperate pot. Heat, stirring often. Combine cooked pasta with tuna mixture. Season.

Veggie-Balls and Spaghetti Sauce Yields 1 serving.
Equipment needed: Frying pan, bowl.

- 1 veggie patty
- 15 mL vegetable oil
- 250 mL spaghetti sauce
- 30 mL parmesan cheese

Cut the veggie patty into quarters. Dip each quarter quickly into warm water and roll into a ball. Fry in oil until golden brown. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes. Serve on pasta or rice. Top with parmesan cheese.

Pita Pizza Yields 1 serving.
Equipment needed: Grater.

- 1 pita (or pizza shell)
- 15 mL spaghetti sauce
- 60 mL grated cheese
- 125 mL mixed vegetables, chopped (ex: mushrooms, onions, peppers, etc)
- Optional: 60 mL meat (ex: salami, ham, pepperoni, etc)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/175 degrees C. Spread spaghetti sauce on the pita. Sprinkle on the toppings. Bake in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes. Serve with salad.

Save-On Salad Dressing
Equipment needed: Measuring spoons, jar.

- 5 mL white sugar, to taste.
- 3 mL dry or prepared mustard.
- 60 mL vegetable oil
- 30 mL red wine vinegar
- Salt, to taste

Mix and shake all ingredients in a jar. For a creamier dressing, add 30 mL mayonnaise.


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The information in this pamphlet is from the BC Dairy Foundation. I do not claim to own any of the information in this post.

Reserved.