Food Trivia
True or false: A potato is good source of vitamin C
True! When eaten with it's skin, a potato can give you as much vitamin C as an orange!
True or false: Healthy eating can lower your risk of developing dementia/memory loss as you get older
True!
True or false: frozen fruits/vegetables are not as healthy as fresh
False! Frozen vegetables and fruits are a great alternative to fresh. Often they are picked when they are ripe, and hold their nutrients. They also last a long time and often go on sale!
True or false: skipping meals might make you gain weight
True! When we skip meals or go a long time without eating, we might feel hungrier later and overeat. This can also slow our metabolism, making it harder to lose weight. Make sure you try and eat every 4-6 hours!
One of our favourite foods came from Mexico, thousands of years ago! Can you guess what it is? Hint, we eat it for dessert!
Chocolate! Chocolate is made from cacao beans, which were first discovered in Mexico
True or false: If you have diabetes, you are not allowed to eat sugar
False! If you have diabetes, you can still enjoy foods that have sugar. However with diabetes, our bodies do not use the sugar we eat very well, therefore we need to watch 1) how much and 2) how often we eat sugar.
Name 2 fruits or vegetables that are in season right now (the fall)
Apples, pears, carrots, potatoes, squash, beets, parsnips, mushrooms, sweet potato, onion
Name 2 foods that are high in fibre
Vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, nuts & seeds, legumes, bran. Fibre foods are filling, and can help you lose weight!
Name 2 foods that are commonly eaten in "Mediterranean" cooking (e.g. countries like Greece, Turkey, Spain, Italy, Morocco)
Citrus fruits, Leafy green vegetables, berries, lentils, whole-grains, feta cheese, Greek yogurt, fish, shellfish, olive oil, nuts & seeds
What nutrient do you need to eat less of, if you have hypertension (high blood pressure)
Sodium! Also known as salt. Too much salt in our diet can increase our blood pressure, which can increase the risk of heart attack and stroke
Name one meal you can make with meat alternatives (egg, beans, tofu, lentils)
Chili, stir-fry, omelets, quiche, soup, curry
Name a healthier alternative to soda-pop
water, sparkling water, unsweetened coffee/tea, unsweetened milk/soy/almond/oat milk. When we drink our calories (e.g. through pop), it makes it harder to lose weight
Name a food that is a good source of Vitamin A
Carrots, cantaloupe, sweet potato, apricots, pumpkin, butternut squash, animal liver, fortified milk
Name 2 foods that are "heart healthy" (e.g. can keep our risk of heart attacks down)
Vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, fatty fish, olive oil, beans/lentils, nuts & seeds
Name 2 tips to save money when you are at the grocery store
Price compare, don't shop hungry, look at flyers and plan meals around sales, buy less meat, make a list (and stick to it!), shop at lower-cost stores, only buy what you need
Give a reason why diets don't work!
They are short-term solutions (you can't do them forever), they can be expensive, they are restrictive, some can be unsafe (e.g. pills)