Suggestion: Make at least 70% of your plate of plants at all meals and have at least 1 vegan meal per week.

Healthy Eating Trend 2: Healthy Choices at Restaurants

Canadians spend $80 billion dollars per year in restaurants and restaurant spending is growing more quickly than grocery store spending. At the same time, consumer demand for healthy food and consumer awareness of the ingredients restaurants use is also growing. Because of this, restaurants are now including more healthy options and some are even posting the source and/or nutrition value of their meals.

Suggestion: Browse before you eat! Before choosing a restaurant or arriving at a restaurant, check out their website to see what their healthy options are. If they don’t post this information, give them a call before you arrive. We’ve found that most restaurants are happy to speak about their healthier options!

Healthy Eating Trend 3: Eating for Brain Health (aka, preventing ‘type 3 diabetes’)

With the aging Babyboomer population, diets focusing on brain health are becoming more popular, and for a good reason! Alzheimer’s disease, which used to be thought of as a chronic condition with no known prevention strategies, is now being called ‘type three diabetes’ as there is a link between this disease and insulin resistance. As we now know that there is a link between diet, insulin and brain health, more research is being done on diets that improve brain function and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, potentially even reversing this disease!

Suggestions:

1. Eat a low-glycemic diet. Avoid high sugar foods, choose unprocessed grains, and try to get most of your carbohydrates from vegetables.
2. Swap out high carbohydrate foods for foods with healthy fats, like nuts and seeds, avocados and fish. Instead of grabbing a sandwich for lunch, choose a leafy greens salad with ½ avocado, a palm size of wild salmon, ½ cup chickpeas, and lemon mixed with some extra virgin olive oil.
3. Up your anti-oxidants by choosing bright, colourful vegetables and fruits (in moderation).

Healthy Eating Trend 4: Digestive Health and Nutrition

According to the Canadian Digestive Health Foundation, over 20 million Canadians suffer from digestive disorders every year, and this number is on the rise. Because of this, but also because of new research pointing to the health benefits of eating fermented foods, there is consumer demand for fermented foods.

Suggestions:

1. Use plain kefir in place of yogurt or sour cream, or milk. Aim for ½ cup per day. Kefir is naturally lactose-free and can often be tolerated by those who are lactose intolerant.
2. Use kimchi and sauerkraut to add a kick to salads and other dishes.
3. Get on a good probiotic! Not all supplements are created equal and we only use high quality, research-backed probiotics in our clinics. Looking for one that is right for you? Ask us for a recommendation!

Healthy Eating Trend 5: Using the WHOLE vegetable

Following 2015’s ‘whole animal’ trend is this year’s ‘whole vegetable’ trend, and we are LOVING this one (#plant-based eating!). Up your veggie intake, while reducing food waste by using beet greens, spiralizing broccoli stems, and using anise (aka fennel) frons to add colour and flavour to dishes.

As with any nutrition change, we recommend that you add changes gradually, and add these changes to the tried and true nutrition basics we teach our clients every day. Not sure what those basics are? Request a free 20-minute discussion with one of our Registered Dietitians to find out: https://nutriprocan.ca/free-consultation.