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Sweet Spot Nutrition > Holiday

Holiday

Festive food for a small table
Meal Plans, What to Eat

Festive food for a small table

Cheryl Strachan
December 19, 2020

Full disclosure: It’s December 19 and I’m doing my Christmas meal planning here. Some people are smart enough to do this two or three weeks early, but I am definitely not one of them! So as I’m contemplating options, I’ll share and help you out, in case you’re a last-minute…

Holiday Read more
20 Locally-sourced gifts for the heart-healthy kitchen
Miscellaneous, Weight & Health

20 Locally-sourced gifts for the heart-healthy kitchen

Cheryl Strachan
November 26, 2020

Every year I update and share the same holiday gift idea list based on my favourite trusted kitchen tools with links to Amazon or other major retailers for easy shopping. But this year it feels like (1) we need some fresh ideas! and (2) we must focus our holiday spending on local businesses, since…

Holiday Read more
Need an energy and mood boost through the holidays? Try this.
Weight & Health, What to Eat

Need an energy and mood boost through the holidays? Try this.

Cheryl Strachan
December 20, 2019

Raise your hand if you need more energy right about now. Or a mood boost? The end of the year is packed with so many celebrations and extra to-do’s that sometimes you want to just hide in bed. Am I projecting here? Maybe. This week and the chaos it brought…

glycemic index glycemic load Holiday Read more
12 days of food pushers
Miscellaneous, Weight & Health

12 days of food pushers

Cheryl Strachan
December 13, 2019

A few weeks after people download my guide to eating after a cardiac event , I ask them what they find hardest about eating now, so I can continue to write helpful content. One reader replied, “The saboteurs!  Oh just have a little of this or that or whatever and it’s hard to ward off all the do-gooders!” …

emotional eating Holiday Read more
Dietitians’ holiday favourites from (and for) the heart
Recipes

Dietitians’ holiday favourites from (and for) the heart

Cheryl Strachan
December 5, 2019

Dietitians love food. We love to break bread with loved ones, especially at the holidays. And while we might savour some shortbread or egg nog, our not-so-secret superpower is making vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, and even legumes truly shine. Even after a cardiac event, even if you have type…

Holiday Read more
Gift ideas for a heart-healthy (and happy) kitchen
Miscellaneous, Weight & Health

Gift ideas for a heart-healthy (and happy) kitchen

Cheryl Strachan
November 28, 2019

Black Friday is tomorrow, which is generally my reminder to get it together and start gift planning. Perhaps you organized people are done or even started, but for the rest of us slowpokes, it’s time! So to help you with the cooks in your life, here are 15 of my…

cooking Holiday Read more
Navigating the holidays after a cardiac event
Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Miscellaneous, Weight & Health

Navigating the holidays after a cardiac event

Cheryl Strachan
November 29, 2018

Whether it’s new or years in the past, having a heart problem presents unique challenges during the holidays. From negotiating piles of treats to an overloaded schedule or relatives offering unsolicited advice, here are a few tips for keeping the joy in the season: Flex your “no” muscles. You now…

Holiday Read more
Recipe: Sweet Spot Waffles
Recipes, What to Eat

Recipe: Sweet Spot Waffles

Cheryl Strachan
April 7, 2017

When my husband and I got engaged ten years ago, my friends chipped in for a gorgeous KitchenAid waffle “baker.” We would never have splurged like that, and we LOVE it. Since then, waffles have become my go-to brunch offering. We’ve tried various recipes but keep coming back to this…

Breakfast chia seeds Fruits and vegetables Holiday Meal ideas recipe Whole grains Read more
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There are so many creative breakfast ideas out the There are so many creative breakfast ideas out there, but I usually slide right back to my favorites. How about you? #sweetspotfood ❤️😊
You might have been told to lose weight for heart You might have been told to lose weight for heart health, but weight loss is frustratingly elusive and often temporary. But we have studies that have demonstrated benefits to cardiovascular outcomes (both morbidity and mortality) even in the absence of weight loss, and one of the biggest trials that set out to show that weight loss would improve CV outcomes (Look AHEAD) was stopped early because it did not.

If you’re measuring “success” by stepping on a scale, you may be discounting other longer-lasting wins. Swipe for a few food-related examples that you can use as measures of success instead of weight loss. They benefit heart health too, quite possibly more.

This is another excerpt from my free video series, How to Eat Well For Life After a Heart Event. Link in profile to access the whole series.

#heartmonth #hearthealth #cardiacrehab #heartattack #cardiacnutrition #heartdisease #hearthealthy #cardiacrehabilitation #hearthealthyfood #overallhearthealth
Believe it not, simple meal. All roasted in the ov Believe it not, simple meal. All roasted in the oven. Easy peasy!  #sweetspotfood 😋❤️
To tell if bread is really whole great or just pre To tell if bread is really whole great or just pretending, take a peek at the list of ingredients. They’re in order by weight, so there’s more of the first ingredient in the bread than anything else on that list. If the first ingredient is a whole grain, you have a winner. Look for terms like “whole grain” “sprouted grain” “quinoa” “brown rice” “whole rye” or “whole wheat.” Terms that indicate it’s not a whole grain: “Enriched wheat flour,” “wheat flour.” Swipe to see. 

This is another excerpt from my free video series, “How to Eat Well for Life After a Heart Event.” Link in profile to the entire series.

#heartmonth #eatwell #forlife #wholegrain #healthybread #hearthealth #cardiacrehab #heartattack #cardiacnutrition #heartdisease #hearthealthy #cardiacrehabilitation #hearthealthyfood #sweetspotfood
I do love a good pasta. White beans, (!) braised k I do love a good pasta. White beans, (!) braised kale, tomato, Parmesan, olive oil. Easy weeknight meal. #sweetspotfood ❤️😋
Do headlines like this make you want to give up on Do headlines like this make you want to give up on heart-healthy eating? Same news outlet, less than a year apart. First eggs reduce heart disease risk, then they raise it. 

Same with the next one (swipe). Wine is bad for aging brains. Wine could improve brain health.
It’s discouraging I know. Trust me, even clinicians like me get frustrated with the controversies!

Friendly reminder that a headline is supposed to grab your attention. The more controversial the better. “Everything you know about nutrition is wrong!” Yeah, probably not. 

Unfortunately, the nature of nutrition research leads to sometimes conflicting outcomes. Each study is a small piece in a big puzzle. 

When we put together all of the pieces we get a pretty consistent picture for food and heart health: Lots of vegetables, fruit, beans, nuts, seeds, whole grains, fish, olive oil, and some lean meat and dairy if you like. And other stuff is okay, if it’s not MOST of what you eat. 

#heartmonth #nutritioncontroversies #donteattheheadilnes #hearthealth #sticktothebasics #cardiacrehab #heartattack #cardiacnutrition #heartdisease #hearthealthy #cardiacrehabilitation #hearthealthyfood
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  • Cheryl Strachan RDPSA: https://t.co/XsZNpmbbqb, 1 hour ago
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