Making healthy food choices... some tips and guidelines

A healthy lifestyle as you age can help you look and feel your best. Try making eating an enjoyable part of your life by:

• Asking a friend to lunch and trying a new dish
• Baking cookies with your grandchildren
• Helping with special meals for celebrations
• Trying a new recipe

Healthy eating can promote independence in later years by helping protect you from certain illnesses:

• Emphasize whole grains such as bran and whole grain and/or enriched cereals.
  -Have 5-12 servings daily of Grain Products.
• Include colorful fruits and vegetables as bright orange and dark green may offer you more protective nutrients. Examples include squash, broccoli, and oranges.
• Have 5-10 servings daily of Vegetables and Fruit.
• Help strengthen your bones and possibly prevent osteoporosis by improving your intake of calcium and vitamin D. Choices include: milk, yogurt, and cheese. Have 2-4 servings daily of Milk Products.
• For high quality protein, include foods such as beef, poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, and legumes.  Have 2-3 servings daily of Meat & Alternatives.
• Choose lower fat foods more often; choose leaner meats, poultry, and fish, lower fat milk products more often.
• Use small amounts of added fat in cooking and at the table.

When making food choices:

• Be realistic: If you want to improve your food choices, make small changes one step at a time; there is a better chance that the change will last.
• Be adventurous: Expand your tastes to enjoy a variety of foods. Try a theme dinner with your friends featuring foods from other countries.
• Be flexible: Eat regularly, choose wisely, and include some physical activity in your day.
• Be sensible: Enjoy all foods. If you’re craving chocolate cake, have a piece and enjoy it. Just don’t overdo it. Remember all foods can fit!

Healthy eating and regular physical activity give you energy to get going and keep going.

• Eat and drink enough to maintain a healthy weight by following Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating.
• Choose healthy snacks to boost your energy level - try fruit or fruit juices, yogurt, cheese, a hard-cooked egg or a bowl of cereal for a quick "pick me up!"
• Plan nature walks at parks with a friend or group
• Join a "mall walkers" group
• Plant a garden

You owe it to yourself to receive the best possible advice on healthy eating. Get the facts from a source you can trust…ask a Registered Dietitian. Contact Dial-A-Dietitian toll free at 1-800-667-3438 or receive online answers through the Dietitians of Canada website.