March is Nutrition Month: Unlock the Potential of Food - Plus Recipe

March is nutrition month and this year's theme is Unlocking the Potential of Food. Today we share a little about food's potential to fuel and share some nutritious snack ideas.

Potential to fuel: Stay energized by planning nutritious snacks into your day.

Potential to discover: Foster healthy eating habits in children by teaching them to shop and cook.

Potential to prevent: Understand how food can help prevent chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Potential to heal: Learn how food can promote healing and how dietitians work in health care teams to make a difference. Potential to bring us together: Enjoy the benefits of bringing families and friends together with food.

Today we explore the potential to FUEL!

Stay energized by planning nutritious snacks into your day. Nutrition Month 2018 features the potential of food to fuel, discover, prevent, heal and bring us together -- with the help of

dietitians. Visit NutritionMonth2018.ca

Nutritious snacks, in the right portion sizes, can be part of a healthy eating plan. Almost half of all Canadians say that eating a balanced diet is challenging for them because they are so busy. They often skip meals, and close to 30 per cent of Canadians say they snack to stay fuelled in a busy day. This Nutrition Month, dietitians want to remind you of the power of snacking to stay fuelled all day long.

Five Tips for Healthy Snacks

Snacks are foods or drinks that are consumed between meals. When you’re on-the run during a busy day, think of snacks as mini-meals that offer some nutritional value and an energy boost. Examples are an apple with peanut butter or cheese with crackers. These are different than treats, such as cookies, chocolate and chips, which are not as nourishing as snacks. Choosing healthy snacks can be a great way to get all the nutrients your body needs each day. Here are five helpful snacking tips:

1. Plan ahead. Keep a variety of healthy, ready-to-eat snacks on hand for when you get hungry, like cut up veggies, nuts and cubed cheese. Being prepared helps you avoid less-healthy treats.

2. Be aware of portion sizes. Instead of snacking from a large bag or box, take a portion and put it on a plate or bowl.

3. Listen to your hunger cues. Ask yourself: am I truly hungry, or am I eating because I am bored, tired or stressed?

4. Skip distracted snacking! Avoid munching while looking at a screen, driving or working. You may eat more than you need if you’re distracted from your feeling of fullness.

5. Snack on vegetables! About half of all Canadians don’t eat enough vegetables or fruit. Snacking on them between

Adapted from the Dietitians of Canada’s Nutrition Month campaign materials. Find more information about Nutrition Month at www.NutritionMonth2018.ca.

Healthy Snack Ideas

We asked dietitians about their favourite snacks. They recommend looking for

snacks with some protein and fibre. Here are 11 great ideas!

1. Carrots and peppers with hummus

2. Almond butter on banana slices

3. Greek yogurt topped with berries

4. Whole grain toast with peanut butter

5. Cheddar cheese and apple slices

6. Small handful of trail mix made with nuts, seeds and raisins*

7. Roasted chickpeas and popcorn mix*