March is national nutrition month

By Sarah Sobanski

When I was in grade school I used to walk home for lunch - sometimes. Between you and me, I was a chunky kid. I was only making that walk if my mother was on the afternoon shift. What does that have to do with anything? Three words: fresh, hot lunches.

There's nothing like a home-cooked meal. From the grocery store, to the pan, to the belly is healthier than from the box or can and into the microwave. At the end of the day there's nothing to complain about - even if there is there isn't, that's your mother cooking for you.

So imagine my inner struggle when my favourite chef started slipping me health oils. I want to say it was tea tree oil, she says she can't remember exactly but maybe it was flax seed oil. The point is I'd think: Something tastes off about the rice. When I wouldn't eat it, she'd slip it into treat day lunches instead, trying to please the preteen who devoured KD and Campbell's mushroom soup with a special kind of passion. Finally, I caught her red handed. After that I had to take it by the spoon - see, never complain about your mother's cooking.

I found out when I was older that oil was a trick my grandmother used to pull. I used to get sick often. This oil was supposed to help strengthen the immune system.

Now-a-days I've given up on fancy oils but I've tried the fad diets and T-25. I tried the keto diet alongside a ketosis supplement ¹ for the longest, and it was tough but it worked. When it comes to our health we're usually willing to try anything - even more so if it's a quick fix for the long haul. The problem is that there are so many miracle elixirs, wives tales and just plain information on what's right and wrong when it comes to nutrition it's hard to tell what to do.

Consulting a knowledgeable nutritionist could be a step in the right direction, but even then, the only thing we can trust are the results we get. A healthy body is something that's built over time, by following diets that suit our body type and knowing the nutrition value of what we consume. Going the health supplement route is something that many people consider and it seems to help. At least, that's what these unify health reviews ² say. But it's important to know what's right for our bodies; what works for someone may not work for someone else.

March is national nutrition month. Dietitians of Canada have launched this year's theme Take the Fight out of Food. Simplifying which oils keep you healthy and which don't is what it's all about.

A press release by the organization says Canadian's struggle with five "food fights." Knowing which food fads to trust and whether your after dinner gas is a gluten intolerance are two of them.

For example: for nutrition month the organization is featuring fact sheets. One such sheet helps readers develop a process of elimination for reliable health information. Questions listed for online sources include asking "is the website promising a quick fix or a miracle cure? Do [you] have reasons to mistrust the person, organization or company that runs the website? Are they trying to sell me something instead of educate me on how to make better food choices?"

It's also worth watching out for opportunities to increase your skill set to live a healthier lifestyle around the community. Harvest the North is gearing up to start its community gardens. Its also working with the gnomes and North Hastings Community Trust to develop workshops that go hand in hand with growing fresh, nutritious food. Not to mention seeds to get growing are available at the at the Bancroft Public Library.

Keeping health simple seems like the best way to pursue a healthy lifestyle - plus the odd, old trick that has been passed down for generations. Click here ³ for more information on nutrition month. It's a great place to start.

1. https://www.quicksilverscientific.com/all-products /keto-before-6-500/
2. https://unifyhealthlabs.com/unify-health-reviews/
3. http://www.dietitians.ca