RRSP for Health

Eating well is like having a savings plan for health. Depositing a good variety of vitamins, minerals and other disease fighters into your body bank now can pay off in many ways. What we eat can lower our risks of heart disease, cancer, diabetes and many diseases associated with aging. There are dozens of foods and nutrients that play a role, but too often the nutritional messages get confusing. So to simplify things, here are our top 10 strategies for a healthier you.

1. Enjoy a Variety of Foods.
A wide variety adds more than just pleasure to mealtimes. Scientists continue to uncover information about the health benefits of many different nutrients found in foods, such as vitamins, minerals and a wide array of other disease-fighting plant chemicals. The more variety you eat, the more chances you have of consuming a wide variety of all these healthful nutrients.

2. Fill Up on Fruits and Vegetables.
Mom was right! Studies continue to confirm the health benefits of these foods. Your best bets are the most colourful: orange (squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, apricots), red (tomatoes, strawberries, red peppers), blue (berries, grapes), green (broccoli, spinach, leafy greens) and yellow (corn, bananas). Include vitamin C–rich foods (oranges, grapefruits, melons, mangoes, berries, kiwifruit, papayas) and foods from the cruciferous family (broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage). Whether these fruits and vegetables are eaten raw or cooked, or enjoyed in sauces, soups or stir-fries, you can't go wrong.

3. Go Fishing.
Fatty fish – salmon, mackerel, herring, trout, sardines and more – are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are associated with lower risk of heart disease. Lean fish, such as sole and flounder, are also good meal choices: they're low in fat and high in protein. Include both fatty and lean types of fish regularly in your diet.

4. Consider Calcium.
We usually associate calcium with strong bones, but did you know that it may also help you lose weight? Adding dietary calcium to a low-calorie diet helps your body mobilize and break down stored fat. It also helps with weight maintenance and preventing obesity. Calcium is critically important for teens because their calcium intake during these peak bone-building years will help prevent problems later in life. The best food sources are milk, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products; fortified soy beverages; tofu made with calcium; salmon with the bones; sardines; and leafy green vegetables.

5. Include Iron-Rich Foods.
Iron-rich foods are essential to help prevent iron-deficiency anemia, one of the most common nutrient deficiencies among Canadian women. The best food sources are red meat, liver, eggs, lentils and other legumes, dried fruits and iron-enriched cereals and pasta. To make nonmeat iron easier to absorb, combine these foods with a good source of vitamin C, such as citrus fruit or juice, berries and melons.

6. Fill Up on Fibre.
Whole grain breads and cereals, oat cereals, fruits and vegetables, beans and lentils are packed with fibre, the indigestible part of the plant that helps keep your digestive system regular and can help regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol and protect against some cancers. Research shows that there are also many other components in whole grains that are beneficial to your health.

7. Eat Foods Rich in Folate.
Folate, the B vitamin linked to lowering the risk of neural tube defects, is a must for women considering pregnancy. But there's more to this important B vitamin: folate helps regulate levels of homocysteine, a protein substance in blood. High homocysteine levels are associated with increased risk of heart disease. You'll find folate in dark green vegetables (such as broccoli, spinach, romaine lettuce, peas and brussels sprouts), orange juice, liver, and dried peas and beans.

8. Eat Breakfast.
A recent study of Grade 8 students found that overweight students were more likely to skip breakfast and eat two rather than three or more meals a day than those who were a healthy weight. "Breaking the fast," the meaning of the word breakfast, is what you do after 12 to 14 hours. Your blood sugar is low, you're hungry and your brain, as well as the rest of your body, needs refuelling to get moving and get thinking.

9. Be Fat Savvy.
You already know that eating less fat, especially saturated fat, is healthy for your heart. But new studies show that eating some fat may actually help you manage your weight. Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston found that eating some monounsaturated fats (olive oil, canola oil, peanuts or other nuts) on a calorie-controlled diet can support weight loss over a longer period of time.

10. Relax and Enjoy.
Eating brings tremendous pleasure to your life. Food should be something to savour – not something to worry about. Take time to enjoy nutritious and delicious meals with family and friends.