Onion Skins and Potato Peelings vs. Snickers Wrappers and Potato Chips

It’s that time of the year- the time when you’ve already let yourself down just a few weeks after your most sincere New Year’s resolution of all time. Yes, admit it. You’ve pushed a few Snickers bars down your throat since 2016 rolled in and that’s just for starters -never mind the salty capacollo, rich goat cheese, fresh loaves of sourdough bread and all those bags of your favourite sour cream and onion chips. This self-promise of a big lifestyle change has had a wobbly start.

As I was perusing my preferred grocery store the other day, I was shocked that a tiny stalk of broccoli was priced at $3.99 –that was non-organic, the organic stalk was $5.99, and cauliflower lovers know what I’m talking about. It’s only been over the past couple of days that the understated white vegetable has experienced a return to more earthly prices in Ontario. Having flirted with various diets over the years, including veganism -the best 3 weeks of my life, I often wondered, can I afford a healthier diet?

Susan Hawke thinks so. “You might feel a pinch starting over but it really can be inexpensive to eat healthy. For beginners –I don’t throw anything away. I use all the parts of a vegetable. Broccoli stalks and leaves, potato peelings, onion skins- all go into a freezer bag and then when I have enough I make vegetable stock.”

Susan cuts the grocery bill by purchasing her grains, nuts, seeds and nuts –to name a few, in bulk. And she’s embraced traditional ways, cooking everything from scratch. But that doesn’t mean that she loses the convenience of ready-made frozen meals. She pulls out a freezer bag containing a pre-made stir fry from the week before. “Nothing is thrown away. I would encourage people to freeze what they don’t use and to avoid the trap of grabbing something quick on the way home from work, that they set aside one day a week for cooking. Things can be used up during the week and you can make enough to freeze for a couple of months. Buying vegetables is hard now,” acknowledges Susan. “But buying vegetables in bulk when they are in season or on sale allows you to cook and freeze or just freeze what you can’t use.”

Grabbing fast food is a thing of the past, except once every few years when she has a weak moment –even with a freezer full of pre-made dinners. “I cheated the other day and picked up a fast food burger. I felt sluggish and sick all day. I’ll never do that again. Oh, I’ll have a hamburger but I’ll make it myself and put on a bun of my choosing that isn’t full of all these additives and chemicals.”

Susan also finds that she eats less since changing her ways, likely due to the fact that she isn’t consuming empty calories but rather enjoying a diet that is nutrient rich. Eating less and preparing ahead allows her to buy local, organic vegetables and locally raised meat.

Susan’s move to a healthier diet wasn’t motivated by a desire to squeeze into a size four dress or because it was the trendy thing to do. Three years ago her husband received a diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes and just a few years earlier, Susan lost a brother to the same disease. Susan took matters into her own hands and after a day of researching she announced to her husband that she didn’t believe that he had diabetes, in fact she didn’t even believe that diabetes was real, rather it was a symptom of a liver and pancreas taxed out on chemicals laden in processed food products.

With nothing to lose, the couple spent a weekend clearing out their cupboards and reading up on the ingredients they had been consuming. “We had to start all over,” recalls Susan. “I thought we ate really clean, we read nutrition labels and I cooked. But it wasn’t enough. We googled the ingredients listed on the labels and had to throw almost everything out because it wasn’t –well, it wasn’t food.”

Susan had to re-learn how to shop, sticking to the produce section and health food section at the grocery store. “Imagine that,” smiles Susan while shaking her head. “Grocery stores need a health food section. That’s got to tell you something.”

Susan totally changed their diet and within in two weeks her husband went off metformin- a medication to control diabetes. He maintained his health check-ups and after 14 days of really clean eating, his blood results showed normal blood/sugar levels. The good doc told him to keep up his new habits and after two months the doctor declared, “You no longer have diabetes.” Susan and her husband haven’t looked back since.

“I really believe people can change their lives and their health but the food industry also has us so confused about our food,” said Susan in earnest. “I just want to simplify it for people and help them see that they can eat healthy without spending a fortune. They can take control of their health. What better way to age than to age healthy instead of sick and on medications?”

A report released by the Canadian Cancer Society and Statistics Canada estimates that in 2015, 196,900 Canadians will develop cancer and 78,000 will die of cancer. It is also estimated that the annual population in Canada will grow by 29% by 2032. At this time the number of Canadians over 65 years will double and a 79% spike in average annual cancer cases is anticipated. If current trends hold true in the future, it is expected that for the major cancer types by 2028 to 2032 that lung cancer, prostate cancer, female breast cancer and colorectal cancers will all experiences significant increases in diagnosis. Cancer risk factors include excess weight, physical inactivity, poor diet, alcohol consumption and infection.

A 2009 report released by the Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that 1.6 million have heart disease or are living with the effects of a stroke. While the mortality rate (death rate of a population eg. age group) has decreased dramatically since 1960, death rates (deaths per 1,000 people in a population) from cardiovascular disease (CVD) have only just begun to decrease. The report states that, “CVD death rates are highest among those over age 65. In the future, there may be an increase in the number of deaths due to CVD as aging of the population continues in addition to increases in the prevalence of obesity and diabetes, which are two risk factors for CVD.”

The report demonstrates that Canadians still run a high risk of developing CVD. According to the report nine out of ten individuals over the age of 20 years have at least one of the following risk factors: smoking, physical inactivity during leisure time, less than recommended daily consumption of vegetables and fruit, stress, overweight or obesity, high blood pressure, or diabetes. Two in five have three or more of these risk factors. Addressing these risk factors will reduce the risk not only of CVD, but also of many other chronic diseases that share the same risk factors.

The most recent report from the Public Health Agency of Canada showed that in 2009 almost 2.4 million Canadians were living with diabetes. It is estimated that by 2019, 3.7 million Canadians will be living with the diagnosis. Prevalence increases with age though it was found that 50% of Canadians diagnosed with diabetes were between 25 and 64 years of age. Research shows that from 1998/99 to 2008/09 the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among Canadians increased by 70%. The greatest relative increase in prevalence was seen in the 35 to 39 and 40 to 44 year age groups, where the proportion doubled. Likely, this increase in younger age groups is, in part, a consequence of increasing rates of overweight and obesity.

“We’re at an all-time high rate for chronic diseases,” said an exasperated Susan. “Things should have gotten better in the last twenty years because we know so much more. Something has to change. It has to come from somewhere. I know for me and for my husband and a lot of people, it’s been food. Our bodies were never meant to process the crap that’s in put into our food. Food manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies are making a fortune and we’re all getting sicker.”

Susan grabs a box of ‘healthy quinoa bars’ that she purchased for her workshops. She begins reading off the list of ingredients –about 49 in all and most of the ingredients challenging to pronounce. “My husband and I researched every single ingredient. Only about seven of those are actually food.” And as for the nutrition label on the box? “Don’t trust nutrition labels,” warned Susan. “They just base the nutritional facts on the handful of food products in there. But all the extra chemicals –that are full of other sugars and salts, don’t have to be called into the nutritional label.”

Over this past year Susan’s relative was diagnosed with cancer. Susan took over her sister-in-law’s food preparation and she attested that throughout her chemo treatments she felt strong and healthy, crediting the real food that Susan provided her with. Susan is so sincere about helping others improve their quality of life through diet that she is hosting workshops in her home where she will impart what she has learned and practiced for the past three years.

A realtor by day, Susan makes it no secret that she has done a lot of hard work on her own to understand what healthy eating is and how to incorporate healthy behaviours into her lifestyle that allows her to do it well.“ I’m not a nutritionist, I’m not a dietician. I’m a self-taught person and I want to share my knowledge. I’m offering these workshops in my home where I’m comfortable and in an environment that isn’t intimidating,” remarked Susan.

Susan will be showcasing her cooking prowess during the workshops. She loves to cook and admits there was a bit of a learning curve when she changed her diet and she began bringing ingredients into the home that she had never heard of.

“It was so fun,” smiled Susan holding a jar of purple prairie barley in her hand. A healthy diet comprised of whole grains and organic foods doesn’t meant that Susan’s diet is limited. “I’m not a vegetarian, I’m not a vegan but I eat a lot less meat than I use to. I’m not dairy free, I’m not gluten free but I’m diary and gluten light. I’m not on a paleo diet- in fact I don’t believe in subscribing to any one diet. I just eat well and I eat a variety of foods. It’s less restrictive and it’s easier to do. And I think it makes it more fun.”

For more information about Susan’s workshop of Saturday, February 6^th or Saturday, February 13^th or to contact Susan to help you with your individual diet concerns send her an email at: sphawke@live.ca. *Workshop fee is $45 and includes lunch.