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July 2007 Issue

PD Spotlight

APEGGA Stresses Healthy Living
With Staff, Membership

 

BY Nancy Toth, MA, CHRP
Manager, Professional Development & Human Resources

LABEL VERSUS LABEL
Knowing what to look for and what you need to meet your daily nutritional requirements is critical when comparing labels, says Lynn Fraser, a professional home economist.

We’re making an extra effort to help APEGGA staff members make the right choices, when it comes to their nutrition and health. As an organization, we certainly encourage members and permit holders to make healthy living a priority, too.

In fact one of our public members on Council, Dr. Larry Ohlhauser, MD, recently published a book called The Healthy CEO on exactly this subject. Although most of us aren’t CEOs, the book has given many of us a renewed awareness of the need to pay attention to our health.

Dr. Ohlhauser presented at this year’s APEGGA Annual Conference in Calgary. He has also been guest speaker at an Edmonton Branch luncheon.

In his health presentations, Dr. Ohlhauser encourages everyone to seek out specialists in various health areas. We did just that on June 12, when Lynn Fraser, a professional home economist, spoke to APEGGA staff on nutrition. Dr. Ohlhauser made time in his busy schedule to join us for Lynn’s session.

This session focused on reading food labels. It was, of course, accompanied by a healthy lunch.
Ms. Fraser is a work-life balance expert with her own company, called Families are Worth It! She provides seminars, articles and coaching on nutrition, meal-planning and healthy living.

She has allowed us to use excerpts from her article, Where The Tread Hits The Road: The Hard Facts, which compares body maintenance to vehicle maintenance.

In discussion with Lynn prior to her session, I found her very informative on the subject of the health of Canadians. She pointed out that the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey: Nutrition, found that 23 per cent or 5.5 million Canadian adults are obese. Another 8.6 million or 36 per cent are overweight.
The bottom line with these stats is that the majority of Canadian adults are in a weight range that increases their risk of developing health problems. “Men and women who eat fruit and vegetables less than three times a day are more likely to be obese than those who eat their veggies five or more times a day,” Lynn told me.

WHAT’S IN YOUR FRIDGE? - With a little knowledge, you’ll know how to fill your fridge and cupboard with healthy choices, says Lynn Fraser. The professional home economist is an expert in balancing work with the rest of your life.

As we might expect, overweight Canadians are in denial. Lynn referred to a new survey of nearly 5,000 men and women in six major Canadian cities that found the majority of overweight people polled agreed that overweight people are “extremely” or “very much” at risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Yet fewer than 25 per cent felt the risks applied to them.

Apparently only nine per cent of overweight Calgarians described themselves as “extremely” or “very much” at risk of heart disease.

Manny Kassam, P.Eng., was one of those Calgarians in denial. In September, watch for a PEGG article about Mr. Kassam, now of Edmonton. He calls himself a “living testimony” for the value of healthy eating and active living. Manny has even created his own consulting and speaking company, after changing his life after a major heart attack, 10 years ago.

Manny’s company is called HEALing С a name created out of the words healthy eating and active living. I think you’ll find his story inspirational, but at the same time filled with practical advice. He believes, for example, that engineers have a critical role in designing a world that promotes healthy living.

In the meantime, enjoy your summer С and remember to stay active and eat those veggies.

Vroom, Vroom: Five Powerful Tips
To Keep Your Machine Operating Properly


Following are helpful tips from Lynn Fraser to improve your health. This material was prepared with reference to websites of Health Canada, the Health Check program, Statistics Canada and the Canadian Obesity Network.

1. Veg Out & Fuel Up

  • Eat at least one dark green and one orange vegetable daily. Go for broccoli, romaine lettuce, spinach, carrots, sweet potatoes and winter squash. Enjoy vegetables steamed, baked or stir-fried instead of deep-fried. All forms are great fuel: fresh, frozen, dried and canned.

  • Make at least half of your grain products whole grain each day. Try barley, brown and wild rice, oats and bulgar. Whole wheat pasta with a tomato-based sauce provides good fibre and fuel to keep you going.

  • Have meat alternatives such as beans, lentils and tofu often. Choose two, 75-gram servings of fish weekly. Char, herring, mackerel, salmon, sardines and trout are top picks. Select lean meat, trimming the fat on meats and removing the skin on poultry. Roast, bake, stir-fry, barbecue or poach, using salt-free seasonings and very little oil.

  • Select lower fat milk alternatives. Compare the Nutrition Facts tables on yogurt and cheeses to make wise choices.

2. Check Your Fluid Levels & Types

  • Drink 500 millilitres (two cups) of milk every day for bone health and adequate vitamin D.

  • If you’re over 50, take a daily vitamin D supplement of 400 IU.

  • If you drink pop on a regular basis, try alternating one pop with one water, milk or unsweetened juice. Try to limit pop intake to special occasions.

3. Schedule Regular Oil Changes

  • Include a small amount С 30 to 45 ml (2 to 3 tbsp.) С of unsaturated fat each day. This includes oil used for cooking, salad dressings, margarine and mayonnaise.

  • Use canola or olive oils.

  • Choose soft margarines that are low in saturated and trans fats.

  • Limit butter, hard margarine, lard and shortening.

4. Refer to Your Owner’s Manual.

  • Nutrition Facts tables on packaged food are like the owner’s manual for your car. Compare Nutrition Facts tables on different products to choose foods that contain LESS fat, saturated fat, trans fat, sugar and sodium.

  • Use the Nutrition Facts tables to choose foods that contain MORE calcium, iron, fibre and vitamins.

  • Compare  serving sizes listed at the top of the table with how much you actually eat. Adjust the % Daily Value accordingly.

  • Check for the Health Check logo on more than 500 food products. Based on Canada’s Food Guide, the Heart and Stroke Foundation developed the Health Check program in 1999 to guide you to choose nutrient-dense foods by using the logo, explanatory message and nutrition information right on food packages. Products are evaluated by a team of medical, nutrition, and Heart and Stroke Foundation staff, so you can feel confident that Health Check products are a healthy choice for you and your family.

5. Drive It!
• Get active daily for 30 to 60 minutes. You don’t have to do it all at once. Slice it into 10 minute chunks. Take the stairs up from the parkade to the main floor. Take a walk when you need a fresh perspective on a challenge at work. Trade an hour of TV a few times a week for a tennis match, swim or cycle. Walk the dog; don’t just watch the dog walk.
 

MORE INFO

 

PEGG Online Archived Stories
www.apegga.org

Doctor Answers Health Wake-Up Call;
Live-Changing Experiences
Backdrop New Award of Courage
March 2007 PEGG Online

Working Well
May 2004 PEGG Online

Lynn Fraser
www.familiesareworthit.com

Health Canada
www.hc-sc.gc.ca

Health Check Program
www.healthcheck.ca

Canadian Obesity Network
www.obesitynetwork.ca