If it's true what they say, "you are what you eat" then I'd like to have a huge helping of what Ellie Mackey is serving up. She makes juggling numerous jobs, volunteer work and family life look easy. Dietitian Mackay has worked in hospitals, research settings and in residential treatment centres for individuals with eating disorders and addictions.
"If there was one nutrition focus, it would be to look more at how you eat, not just what you eat," Mackay says. "Turn off the distractions (screens, phone) and slow down. We eat too fast and too much. Research shows that if we eat together with our children, we help establish life long, healthy eating habits and avoid the development of obesity and other chronic diseases. Skipping meals is a sure fire way to bring on over-eating later. Aim to spread your eating through the day. Enjoy a balanced breakfast and eat every four to six hours. And remember, no one ever said dinner had to be the biggest meal of the day!"
Mackay suggests some simple tips:
1. Eat vegetables, "Getting anti-oxidants from vegetables and fruits will be one of the main messages from health authorities this year."
2. Avoid drinking your calories, "Liquid calories rarely sustain us as much as the calories we chew."
3. Emphasize non-animal proteins, "Try being a vegetarian twice a week!"
4. Read food labels, "If there are trans fats or saturated fats in the product put it back on the grocery shelf."
5. 'Unlearn' to like salt. "It takes time but your heart will thank you."
6. Eat food the way mother mature meant you to eat it. "Fresh, minimally processed, whole foods pack more nutrition in their natural state."
7. Move your body. "Active living helps us use the nutrients from food for energy instead of for fat storage."
