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Information supplied by Marta Grzegorczyk from Info Nutrition, offering dietary services in the home to the greater Montreal region. Visit her at www.infonutrition.ca

- Vitamin D is a very common deficiency due to the lack of sunlight we get during the winter. This vitamin is produced by the skin through sun exposure; however it can also be found in some foods such as fatty fish, eggs, liver, mushrooms, and fortified products (like milk).  If deficient, in adults, it can lead to bone softening diseases, such as osteoporosis, because vitamin D helps with calcium absorption.  Some data also suggests that a deficiency in vitamin D could be linked to depression, especially seasonal depression.

- Calcium deficiency is very common especially among the female population. In early childhood calcium plays an important role in bone and teeth growth and in their strengthening, this will allow bones to stay healthy through their adult life. Deficiency in calcium can lead to bone diseases such as osteoporosis. Calcium can be found in dairy products, broccoli, kale, almonds, sesame seeds and fortified products (like fruit juices). 

- Iron is another very common deficiency, especially in women. This is mainly due to blood loss during the menstrual cycle and also because women have a tendency to eat less meat products then men.  Iron deficiency often leads to anaemia; the main symptoms are fatigue, irritability, hair loss, weak nails, etc. Iron can be found in meat products, beans, lentils and dark green vegetables.

Information provided by Info Nutrition and Karine Levy at Nutrivision

When cooking vegetables, some vitamins, such as A, D, C and folic acid are destroyed due to the heat. The temperature of the vegetable impacts the structure, and nutritional value. The best way to avoid this is to either cook the vegetables quickly (sauté) or to steam them. If you do decided to cook your vegetables, keep the water afterwards to use in a broth, in soups, or even in sauces, as some minerals leak out into this water and leaving the water with nutritional value.  Therefore, raw vegetables have more vitamins and minerals in comparison to cooked vegetables.

Avoid canned vegetables, as the have less nutritional value than fresh vegetables. Frozen vegetables still have high nutritional value.

Karine Levy, from Nutrivision suggests the following tips to eat healthily on a daily basis.

- Try to incorporate at least 3 out of the 4 food groups in every meal.

- Try for 50% Meats and alternatives, 25% grain products, and 25% fruits and vegetables.

- Eat foods that contain a high fibre content, it keeps you fuller longer!

- Eat healthy snacks every three hours. So if you have breakfast at 7, have a quick snack at 10, before you have lunch. After luch, have a snack at 4 before dinner.  (Ex. Veggies and hummus, yogurt and granola, fruit salad)

- Milk is always a good choice of drink as it is a serving of dairy that can be added to any meal easily.

A healthy diet should include:

- Whole grain or whole wheat products because they are rich in fibres

- A variety of vegetables and fruits because they are filled with vitamins and antioxidants

- Low-fat dairy products to avoid vitamin D and calcium deficiencies

- Lean meats, fish and legumes because they are rich in proteins which are the building blocks of the body

As suggested by Marta Grzegorczyk, P. Dt. of Info Nutrition

Recommended by Info Nutrition, serving your dietary needs in the greater Montreal area.

½ cup of low fat plain yogurt, ½ of mixed berries, 1 tsp of honey and ¼cup of almonds

This is an excellent snack because it contains yogurt that is rich in both calcium and vitamin D, berries are rich in vitamins and antioxidants that strong disease fighting compounds and almonds contain calcium and proteins.