Registered Dietician Offers Advice

Following a healthy lifestyle encompasses multiple variables, such as getting enough regular exercise and proper sleep. 

Abstention of recreational drugs and excessive alcohol consumption will help keep you on the right track to good health. 

Perhaps the most important variable to following a healthy lifestyle is diet. It’s been said you can’t outrun a bad diet and there is math to back it up.

Ponder this: You’ve just come in from your 30-minute run feeling beat up but happy to have burnt about 700 calories. To celebrate your achievement, you crack open a beer or two while you munch on a pre-dinner snack of a bag of potato chips. 

For dinner, a quarter-pounder with cheese and a side of pasta salad will take care of any lingering post-run hunger pangs. 

So what’s for dessert? Well, let’s do the math first, then we’ll look at the dessert menu: Starting with the beer, an IPA craft beer with 8% alcohol could be 450 calories. 

Two beers are more than enough to erase the benefits of your run. 

A regular bag of chips may contain up to 1,242 calories. The quarter-pounder will set you back 510 calories and the pasta salad will add another 280 calories. 

The final calorie count, including two IPA beers is a staggering 2,932 calories. Maybe we’ll skip dessert this time.

To break even on your calorie intake vs. calorie burn, your 30-minute run will need to be extended to two hours and 15 minutes, which is unlikely unless you’re training to run a marathon.

Or, you can do the calorie math before you dig in. Most of the time if you eat sensibly, avoid eating late at night, and drink plenty of water, your 30-minute run will be the perfect balance of exercising on a regular basis combined with healthy eating.

Carrie Walder is a registered dietitian in both Canada and the U.S.  She believes in the benefits of eating fish for a healthy diet and she shares some of her fish dish recipes here.

Walder says, “Many health experts recommend eating about two servings of fish per week. 

There are many health benefits of fish – they are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, high-quality protein, and micro nutrients like vitamin D and iron. 

Omega-3s offer many health benefits, such as lowering one’s risk for heart disease, reducing inflammation, and ensuring proper brain and eye development for infants and during pregnancy.”

Walder reveals some of her favourite fish dishes: “My go-to easy seafood dishes usually involve something with salmon or shrimp! 

They both cook so quickly and pair well with so many foods. Some healthy recipe ideas from my blog include this Green Goddess Rice Bowl with Shrimp, https://www.walderwellness.com/green-goddess-rice-bowl-shrimp-dairy-free/

This 25-Minute Baked Salmon with Pistachio Pesto,https://www.walderwellness.com/baked-salmon-pistachio-pesto/ and this Roasted Vegetable Pasta Salad with Shrimp.” https://www.walderwellness.com/roasted-vegetable-pasta-salad-with-shrimp/

If you love tuna in a can, Walder adds, “I also happen to love canned seafood – it’s a super nutritious pantry staple and of course, very easy to enjoy! Some popular canned seafood recipes on my blog include this 30-Minute Mediterranean Canned Mackerel Pasta https://www.walderwellness.com/mediterranean-canned-mackerel-pasta/and this No-Mayo High-Protein Tuna Salad.https://www.walderwellness.com/no-mayo-high-protein-tuna-salad/ “Seafood can definitely be enjoyed as a snack.”

Continuing on to mention “For instance, I love mashing canned seafood with avocado, lemon juice, and fresh herbs. This can be enjoyed over toast or as a dip with crackers! The high protein and healthy fat content of seafood will help to balance your blood sugars and keep you feeling satisfied between meals.”

To go to her blog visit www.walderwellness.com

Our weekly Fitness Friday Features are submitted by Christine Blanchette and you can follow her on Twitter and Youtube and also subscribe to her channel.

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