It's all about balance - Dieting

When dieting, one of the most important things to always keep in mind is balance. Try to keep things reasonable, in the middle, and don't push yourself to the extreme. Quite a few of these fad diets that we see coming and going these days really go all out in one direction, and as a result leave so many important things behind in the dust. People say we need to have "a well balanced diet", and though this is usually said to refer to our regular day to day eating habits, it still holds true when we are dieting and trying to lose weight.

If you are eating well to begin with, you shouldn't radically change your eating habits when dieting. Focus instead on eating slightly less at each meal, such as smaller portions, or trying to cut out unnecessary calories like desserts and some of those sugary, iced-cappuccinos that we all love so much in the summertime. But don't cut back on the portions too much! Going hungry all the time isn't a productive way to diet. Not only will you risk having some unpleasant mood swings, but it might lead to binge eating or cause harm to your body. It's especially dangerous to cut back too heavily if you are hypoglycemic or have other blood sugar problems, because it can lead you to being drowsy all the time and lacking focus or worse.

It is recommended that if you are trying to lose weight, that you shouldn't cut your daily caloric intake below 1200. At that level you can still feel full after every meal, and afford to burn off some extra calories through exercise.

Another thing to definitely avoid doing is to hop onto one of those fad diets where "all you have to do" is to eat one thing and LOTS of it to lose weight. Bad idea. Our bodies need a wide variety of vitamins and nutrients to function properly. Say, for instance, you hop onto the "Atkins Diet" where you all eat for a few weeks is meat, with some small portion of salad greens just to "keep things balanced". Well... I hate to break it to you, but 2000 calories of meat a day and a bowl of salad isn't exactly a well balanced diet. Or worse yet, some of these "cookie" diets have you eat, well, cookies all day that somehow manage to fill you up so that you won't want to eat anymore. Again, not great.

Too much of one thing can be a bad thing.

Meal Delivery Services - A History

Here's a fun topic: how did home meal delivery services first begin and when? It's something that been on my mind lately, so I decided to a little bit of research.

Modern meal delivery services rely primarily on delivery cards to make sure that customers receive their meals on time. A driver picks up the orders, loads them into his vehicle and drives them to their destinations. However, the modern meal delivery service is largely reliant on cars. What were things like before cars became common? Does that mean that there were no meal delivery services? Not quite.

Meal delivery services were originally reliant on bicycles, which had become a widely accessible form of transportation well before the modern automobile. Though bicycles had been around since the turn of the 20th century, they only really grew in popularity, as well as availability, by the 1920s. However, during that decade, the only real deliveries made with bicycles were the mail and small parcels.

By the 1940s, however, the importance of the bicycle as a method of delivery grew. Despite the rise of the automobile, bicycles were far more affordable, and in many ways more versatile. The first widescale meal delivery services began in London during the second world war, and relied heavily on bicycles, being that the city itself was often in ruins, with roads inaccessible to larger vehicles.

The first meal delivery were not exactly the same as the ones we know and love today. London, during the early years of the second world war, was under constant threat of danger. People felt safer in their basements and in local bomb shelters, and venturing outside was at times a very risky affair. To help ensure the well being of London's citizens, the British government, along with local volunteer groups, began organizing ways to keep the city's inhabitants fed.

Groups got together, composed of volunteer chefs, kitchen staff and delivery personal, who would prepare meals and have them delivered. Meal delivery services became an essential service for the duration of the wat.

After the war ended, many of the meal delivery programs which had started up, decided to continue on. They began serving those who had lost their homes during the bombings, as well as helping feed veterans who had just come home from the war and needed help settling back into the swing of things.

 

Meal delivery services began as a service designed to help those in need, and this is something that we might often forget about the current generation of meal services. While people no longer have to live under constant threat, not everyone is able to provide for themselves at all times. The modern meal delivery service, in this vein, continues to offer a viable choice for those in need, for people who might have difficulty in providing for themselves. The original spark is still there, only today it is accessible to everyone who enjoys a good meal at home.

Running vs Walking - Helping your bones

A recent study on fitness and health for children, raised the interesting point that kids "should run and not walk" in order to get proper amounts of exercise.

I mean I suppose that it's hardly news that kids should go outside and run around (they have the energy for it, after all), but what is interesting about this study is that kids who just go for a nice slow walk with their parents in the evening, no matter how much walking they do, do not really see any serious health and fitness benefits.

Compare this with children who add in a few bursts of running in their walk or who regularly run. These children are reported to have considerably greater bone density than the children who practically never run.

Having a thick bone density, for those of who haven't been reading too many medical articles these days, is a key factor for the prevention of osteoperosis. Eating calcium rich diets, as well as partaking in exercises that strengthen your bone density helps prevent gradual degradation of your bone structure. As well, healthy and tougher bones help prevent bone fractures from simple injuries.

Wait! What about all those things we hear about the dangers of jogging and the strain that it can put on our knees?

Well, I hate to break it to you, but we're not exactly children anymore are we? Jogging and running in an of themselves are not essentially bad, however they can lead to injuries and other complications just like any other form of exercise if we are not careful. For instance running through a field of grass and running down the sidewalk are two different things. On the sidewalk, and other hard surfaces we risk putting too much pressure on our knees because the floor beneath us doesn't give away to our weight. On grass, however, there is more fo a soft cushion which helps remove some of the strain from our joints.

In fact, jogging and running for adults can be can lead to a weakening of our bones, especially if we suffer from thinner and weaker bones than normal to begin with. Perhaps one of the best ways to prevent this would probably to have gotten in a little more exercise when we were young. So with that in mind, let your kids run a little more.

Sleep Deprivation Makes Us Grumpy - A Scientific Fact

I recently read an article about sleep deprivation. According to recent studies, lack of sleep can (surprise!) cause us to have unpleasant mood shifts, and impairs decision making.

Though hardly startling, as I'm sure most of us know how we feel when we fail to get our beauty sleep, the study nevertheless helps reinforce the importance of sleep in our daily cycles. Just like how the human body requires food on a regular basis to keep us healthy and energized, sleeping plays a similar role. Our bodies need to rest on a regular basis to recharge, unwind and rest. Some people require a solid 8 hours of sleep every night to be able to concentrate and function properly the next day. For others, like me for example, we can get by with slightly less.

Resting is something that we shouldn't overlook, no matter how bust our lives are. Sure, sometimes things can get a little crazy, and we end up working late into the night, hitting the pillows for a few hours, and then getting up and starting the whole process over. It's not so bad if that's something we only do on occasion, and then make sure to rest up afterwards, but when it starts to become a habit we need to start watching out.

Apart from making us grumpy (a scientific fact!) a continued lack of sleep, or having an insufficient amount of sleep several days running, can lead to several health problems. For one, when our body is over exerting itself, we open ourselves up to the potential of getting catching a cold more easily and then being tired AND sick. Worse yet, sleep deprivation can start to affect our appetites too.

How often do you find yourself waking up in the morning, dead tired, with breakfast the last thing on your mind? It happens to me every now and then, and sometimes I just grab a coffee instead and hold off until lunch. Not providing our body with the food it needs is bad enough, but it only gets worse if we have go an entire week without the proper amount of sleep. We might stary by skipping breakfast, but then lunch comes next, and so forth. Our appetites can change faster than we know it.

So where does that leave us then when we just don't feel like we have the time to get enough sleep? Well, there are a few tricks to getting the most out of a small amount of sleep.

Studies have shown that our bodies go through cycles when we sleep. Each cycle normally lasts around 90 minutes, whereupon it is not uncommon for us to wake up briefly, and then fall right back to sleep without even noticing. Waking up in the middle of a cycle often causes us to feel incredibly sleepy, regardless of how much we actually slept before. So sometimes, if you wake up after 6 hours of sleep (4 cycles) you will actually feel better and function more efficiently than if you awoke after 6 1/2 hours of sleep, midway through a cycle.

One way to avoid feeling so tired when you wake up is to try to plan your sleeping to fit along the pattern of your sleep cycles. For instance, try to set your alarm to go off 6 hours and fifteen minutes after you set it. This way you will be giving yourself 15 minutes to fall asleep, and then a full four sleep cycles. 6 hours sure doesn't sound as nice as 8 hours, but you might be surprised to find out that you don't feel all that bad in the morning.

Of course, another way to make sure you're going to have a meal in the morning, is to order it ahead of time to arrive at your place. 21st Century Food delivers light, easy to eat breakfasts (even coffee!) such as yogurts and pancakes, so that even if you're not in the mood for frying up some bacon in the morning, your stomach might cause you to change your mind when you get your hands on one of our meals.

Catered to your Taste - Montreal Caterers

Did you know that 21st Century Food also offers a catering service? That's right! The same healthy and great tasting meals we provide for our home and work place deliveries can also be prepared to serve your guests at your next corporate and private event.

We offer only the finest dishes, served with the utmost attitude of professionalism. With 21st Century Food as your number one Montreal area caterer, we provide buffet and banquest style meals using the same cooking techniques and prepared with the same fresh ingredients as our regular meal delivery service. Only this time they come with multiple servings. Enjoy a rich variety of cheese, sandwhich and salad platters to accompany your meal and keep all of your guests happy and full.

To sweeten the deal we also offer 21st Century Dollars, as part of our special reward plan for choosing us as your catering service. Every $20 dollars that you spend through our catering service, you receive one century dollar, which you can be redeemed in the future so that you can enjoy your next event at a fraction of the cost.

That's just one of the many ways in which we show you, our valued customers, that we appreciate your clientele.

Nutrition Trivia Week One

So, after a slight hiccup on Tuesday, the first week of Nutrition Trivia went well. Two contestants were quick to answer and walk away with a $5 Off Coupon Code each! They should be getting their coupon codes sent to them later today!

Meal Delivery Service - Why? Part 3 - Maternity Leave and New Mothers

Continuing our series on the benefits of Meal Delivery Services, today we will be looking at our third group that could really take advantage of the service.

 Enjoy your time as a new mother

When someone special enters your life you deserve to be able to take all the time in the world to look after them. Most companies offer generous maternity leaves that help ensure you make the most out of being a new mother and caring for your child, because being a mother can be a full time job on its own.

So, what steps are have you been taking to make the most of your time? 

The last thing you need to have on your mind is stress. Finding the proper balance of having enough time to care for your child and for yourself can be a bit trickey. Why not take one load off of your shoulders and worry less about where your own meals are going to come from?

With a meal delivery service like 21st Century Food, we offer new mothers the ease of being able to have all of their own meals delivered right to their door. Our lifestyle menu can keep you fit and energized, and without having to worry about cooking for yourself, or having to resort to fast food deliveries, we can give you all the more time to attend to more pressing matters.

Know any expecting mothers?

Even if you yourself are not an expecting mother, you might know a few. Thinking of a way to congratulate them when the big day comes around? Our online gift store offers plenty of great gift possibilities perfectly suited to new and expecting mothers. How about a gift card for a week of meal delivery gourmet dining? Or maybe they would like to quickly get back into shape after the baby's arrived. Offer them our 17 Day Diet so that they can get back on their feet quicker than ever.

Another Canadian Election on the Horizon?

The news looks quite grim: we can most likely expect another federal election this spring. I'm not sure we really need to run to the polls again, but then again I'm not in charge.

It seems like it just creeped up on us. It's not as if it's happening over some issue of national importance, as it looks like the cause was a disagreement over the budget. Sigh.

What are your thoughts on this? Eager for an election?

Nutrition Trivia Round One Is Happening Today!

At 9:30am today we posted over on our Facebook Wall the two questions which make up our first official round of "Nutrition Trivia".

In case you haven't had a chance to look, we'll give you a heads up:

#1 Given equal raw servings, which vegetable provides the body with more Vitamin K: Broccoli or Asparagus?
#2 Consuming too much beta-carotine can cause your skin to turn which colour?

So far, the questions are still open. If you happen to know the answers to both of these questions, head on over to our wall! The first person to answer them both correctly will receive a $5 off Coupon Code.

Meal Delivery Service - Why? Part 2 - Enjoy your Retirement

Continuing in our series on the benefits of choosing Meal Delivery services, today we will be looking at another group that could greatly benefit from the luxury of having their meals delivered to their homes.

 The Retirement Years

Retirement is the big payoff for our years of labour. No more morning commutes, no more fighting rush hour traffic and no more deadlines. They call these years the "Golden Years" for a reason: they are meant to be as enjoyable as possible. Our Golden Years are when we finally get the chance to catch up with ourselves, finish all the projects we started but never finished and do all the things we put off until we had "more time".

Well, now you can have more time to yourself. Your retirement is all about enjoying your life and not letting things get in the way. With a meal delivery service, you don't have to spend any time in the kitchen ever again, unless you want to. In your retirement years, what you do is entirely up to you. Go at your own pace and have your meals delivered to you at your convenience. Nothing ever needs get in the way of you completing a project or preventing you from relaxing again. 

As well, sometimes when we begin to get along in the years, preparing meals in the kitchen isn't the joy it used to be. There's nothing to be ashamed of if you find yourself become less mobile on your feet and less handy with a cutting board as you age; it happens to everyone of us. In cases like this, meal delivery services offer you the luxury of having someone else do all the cooking for you, every day of the week. At 21st Century Food, you can order up to three meals a day, including snacks, from our lifestyle menu and enjoy healthy and delicious meals that will not leave you hungry and waiting for the next one. It's that easy.

Ordering Online is Easy

The internet isn't as complicated as it used to be. Placing meal delivery orders online is as simple as signing up to our service, choosing your meals and then waiting for the delivery. Every step is streamlined so that you don't need to worry about mis-clicking or making a mistake, because you can always review your order before proceeding. If ever anything seems confusing or if you have any question whatsoever, don't hesitate to call us; we have helpful staff members ready on the line to guide you through the process.

Meal Delivery Service - Why? Part 1 - Business People and Professionals

There's no denying that meal delivery services are a growing industry here in North America. Part of the reason for this is because is the level of convenience these services offer people regardless of age, gender or social status. Not only do we all need to eat, but we also want to be able to enjoy what we're eating. Though sometimes due to either time restrictions, physical impairments or other factors, we simply don't have the luxury of enjoying good food when we want it. Today we will be beginning a short series on different sorts of people who could greatly benefit from the meal delivery services offered by companies like 21st Century Food.

Business People and other Busy Professionals

 There's no denying that the North America way of life is becoming more and more "busy". Despite recent innovations over the last generation or so in terms of transportation and communications, we don't really seem to have any more time to ourselves. In fact, quite often after coming back from the office, the meetings, the conference calls and the transit time, it feels like we hardly have any day left to ourselves at all. Here in Canada it is so much worse during the winter months. How often do you wake up before the crack of dawn, head to work, and then get home and it's dark again? Sometimes it feels like we could just hibernate all winter.

With crazy schedules like this, who really has the the time to look out for their health and their wellbeing? How often do you just pick up a pizza on the way home because you're too tired to cook? I know I've done that more than a few times. But, thanks to meal delivery services, we can all cut one hassle out of our routine.

At 21st Century Food we aim to make to take some of the busy out of your life. Here's a few ways to take advantage of our services:

#1 When heading to the office bring one of our freshly made meals with you, and just reheat it in the microwave. It's guaranteed to lose none of its texture, keep the same great taste, and provide your body with tons of nutritients. How's that for fine dining at the office?

#2 Are you just in town for a conference? Finding a good place to eat can be tricky, and hotel fare can be overly pricey. Try ordering from us instead. If you know that you are going to be in the Montreal area sometime soon, let us know and choose the meals you want to receive ahead of time. When you get into town, we will deliver your meals to you and you can enjoy a well deserved rest, along with great food, without having to start searching through delivery flyers.

#3 You will never have to worry about missing supper, or forcing your family to wait for you, if you happen to be stuck in traffic. Because all our meals are delivered in the morning inside our specially designed cooling containers they will be just as fresh and tasty when you get home as when we made them. Simply reheat in the oven and voilà!

So, the next time it looks like you will be having a hectic week, think about giving us a call, or try browsing our website.  The road to a healthier, happier you can start today.

What is a meal delivery service?

I'm sure by now you've noticed that we've been using the words "meal delivery service" to describe what it is that we do here at 21st Century Food. I suppose that the term itself is fairly straightforward, but how it different from merely saying that "we deliver"?

Well, first off all, a meal delivery service differs from the average run of the mill delivery or take-out option that restaurants often offer in a number of ways.

The first would be the quality meals that we offer. Unlike most restaurant take out menus, at 21st Century Food we only deliver top quality, tasty and healthy gourmet meals. No greasy pizza, no calorie loaded french fries or any other kind of junk food that looks appealing, but then, once it sinks in, has you regretting your choice for the rest of the evening.

 

Wouldn't you rather enjoy something that's just as appetizing, but also good for your body? The two personal meal delivery menus we offer cater to your needs. So whether you're actively trying to lose weight, or just want to maintain a healthy lifestyle, we've got you covered.

The second major difference falls under the convenient ways of ordering. While most restaurants only offer phone services for orders, often forcing you to be put on hold or have to wait your turn, at 21st Century Food we offer you the convenience of being able to order all your meals online. Place your order at ease and take as much time as you want selecting your meals; we aren't going to rush you!

The third difference would have to be that you have the luxury of ordering your meals ahead of time. That means you can look over one of our menus, pick the meals that look appetizing, and place your order up to a week in advance. No more trying to order before the lunch rush at the office, or the supper crunch in the evening when you're at home. Ordering ahead of time guarantees that you will have your meals ready and available when you want them, not when the restaurant thinks you should have them.

Also, unlike most restaurants, we serve and deliver breakfasts. How nice would it be to wake up, and have something as delectable as caramelized peach pancakes topped with vanilla whipped butter ready and waiting for you? That sure beats greasy eggs and bacon.

The fourth would have to be the price. Ordering take out can often reach $25 or more per person, not even counting delivery charges and the service tip. At 21st Century Food all our menu items go along a standard pricing structure. Only $10.50 for a main course, $2.50 for a snack or a side and all breakfast options are only $6.75. You could order a full day's worth of meals for the same that it would cost you to order dinner for yourself from that pizzeria or stri-fry place down the street.

These are only some of the main difference; countless other details separate what we do as a meal delivery service from what the standard restaurant selection offers. Discovering what makes us so special is as simple as placing an order and then letting our service and your taste buds speak for themselves.

Introducing 21st Century Nutrition Trivia

Next week we will be starting something new over on our Facebook Page called "Nutrition Trivia". On Tuesday at 9:30am we will be posting two questions related to health and nutrition on our wall. The first person to reply with a comment containing the correct answer to both questions will win a $5 off coupon code that can be used on their next order of $50 or more. If all goes well, a second round will happen on Thursday morning at the same time.

So, time to brush up on your health and nutrition facts, because some of these questions are guaranteed to be a bit tricky. Of course, you could always hit wikipedia or even try posting on yahoo answers for some help, but there's no guarantee someone else won't answer the questions correctly before you do!

Even if you know both answers and someone beats you to the punch, no worries, there will always be a next time!

Coffee - Do we drink too much?

How much coffee do you drink on a daily basis? At the end of the day, do you ever think back and start counting how many cups you've had since you woke up. I do, and sometimes the number I get to is a little bit ridiculous.

Let's look at my schedule on an average day. I generally wake up bright and early (dark and early during winter) in the morning, to try to exercise for a bit or get some reading in before I start my day. I'd like to say that almost without exception, I put on a pot of coffee every single morning of the week, so by the time I've finished exercising I can have a nice warm cup to help pick me up in case my eyes haven't fully woken yet.

Now, we probably all know our coffee makers fairly well. I have a tiny red Kitchen Aid coffee maker that claims it can brew four cups, but with the size of my mugs it's much more like two and a bit. So, because I'm not one to waste good coffee, I tend to finish the pot every morning before leaving my apartment. By the time I hit the metro and then the bus, I'm usually wide awake and ready to roll.

However, my enjoyment of coffee doesn't end there. I always have a cup when I get in to the office, usually have one in the afternoon, just after lunch, and if I have a class that evening at the university, you can bet that I pick up a good cup of joe at the local Java U.

So, on an average day I consume anywhere from 4-6 cups of coffee. According to a caffeine chart that's around 600 milligrams of pure caffeine I consume everyday. Yikes!

Is this too much coffee? I think so. Health experts generally recommend that we do not pass the 300 milligrams a day mark, so it looks like I might be drinking twice as much caffeine as I should be.

So there you have it: I drink way too much coffee. But this isn't just about me needing to make a change; how about you? How much coffee do you consume on a daily basis? Are you like me; a bit of a coffee fiend? Or are you one of the lucky ones who knows better?

School Lunch - Soft Drinks and Nutrition

Citing a growing concern for the amount of sugar and calories that children consumed on a daily basis, in 2008 Vancouver took a bold step forward became the first city in Canada to ban the sale of soft drinks in schools.

As I'm sure most of you are well aware, soft drinks play a major role in the obesity epidemic that is currently sweeping across North America, and as such have become a major area of concern amongst nutritionists.

The average can of soft drink contains close to 150 calories, and upwards of 35 grams of sugar. Considering that they do virtually nothing to quench your appetite, and might even fuel your thirst (a side effect of sugar consumption), people can drink can after can and quickly exceed their daily recommended calorie intake without having consumed anything of nutritional value. 

The city of Vancouver's move to ban soft drinks in school was certainly in the right direction. That's not to say that kids should absolutely never drink soft drinks, but rather, by removing that option and easy access to soft drinks, it opens the door to helping kids make healthier choices.

However, recently the Vancouver Sun published an article that suggests their battle with sugary drinks is far from over. According to the article, recent studies have shown that juices with added sugars, such as those that are now being sold in vending machines in the schools, contain nearly as many calories and as much sugar as the soft drinks they replaced! The only difference is that these juices contain some vitamins, though the daily requirements of the vitamins they contain, such as Vitamin C, are hardly difficult to meet.

Quite often, the way things appear is quite different from the way they actually are. A lot of juices and "fruit drinks" are little more than the same basic ingredients that make up a soft drink, except with added flavour. A CBC article published last year revealed the often overlooked truth that a glass of orange juice often involves quite a bit more than oranges.

So, here's to hoping that things get sorted out quickly over there in Vancouver. But where does that leave us in the rest of the country? Here in Montreal school lunch menus have certainly become a bit more heal conscious and nutrition orientated than when I was in high school (greasy pizza, fries and fountain drink anyone?) but they might still be a long way off from offering a perfectly balanced diet at every meal.

This is one of the reasons why here at 21st Century Food we offer a school lunch and catering program, to give parents the option to provide their children with healthy meals every day at school. We currently serve  meals to children at several Montreal area schools but are always looking to expand our reach so that more children can take advantage of healthy meal choices. If you are curious about finding ways to keep your child's nutrition in check, don't hesitate to look into our program.

21st Century Food - Featured on TCS Styling!

Our meal delivery service has just been featured in a blog over at TCS Styling, a local Montreal style advice and fashion outlet located on St-Laurent boulevard. What an honour; it's always great to learn that we have fans in unexpected places. I'd highly recommend all you fashion savvy types help us return the favour and go and see what they are all about.

Speaking of fans: have you checked out our 21st Century Food Facebook Page yet? It's a great place to catch up with the latest news from 21st Century food, and periodically give out exclusive rebates and coupons. You know how it is, just another way of showing our appreciation and giving back.

Nutrition Month in Canada - March 2011

Time flies: we're already half way through March. The weather is getting warmer, there is less snow on the sidewalks (here in Montreal, at least) and Spring is on its merry way.

It also means we're already half way through Canada's quasi-official "Nutrition Month", as encouraged by the Dieticians of Canada Association. This is the month where we are all encouraged to start thinking about our nutrition, and hopefully taking some steps towards improving it. According to Nutrition Month website, the theme for this year is "cooking together", because it's the time to "Celebrate food... from field to table".

Cooking is great in that it is not only a means to nourish ourselves, but also to socialize with friends and family. Especially now that the weather is on the rise, and everyone feels less like hibernating, it's the perfect time to invite some people over and have a kitchen party... or even for a few daring souls (I know who you are) it could be time to pull out the barbecue and start grilling some veggies.

The other half of this month's theme is equally important. It encourages us to celebrate food, and not condemn it. Unlike what a lot of diets would lead you to believe, food in and of itself is not a bad thing. The danger lies in eating the wrong foods. The key part of the slogan "from field to table" is just that: know where your food comes from (notice it doesn't say "from field to factory to table!"). Meals cooked from fresh ingredients are essential for keeping your body happy and healthy. We should try to avoid foods that add that extra step, and become "processed", because they are often loaded with too much sodium, trans-fats and preservatives... things that your body doesn't need!

But not everyone is a chef, or even has the time to cook. Healthy meal delivery services, ones that guarantee fresh ingredients and no additives are one option to eat better. Though, it doesn't hurt to add something quick and easy to put together to your meal like a salad loaded with garden greens. Just don't forget to invite your friends!

The path to a better lifestyle: Taking it one step at a time

I recently read an article about the obesity epidemic that is rapidly sweeping across the Western world and becoming one of the greatest health concerns of our time. According to the original article in the Sydney Morning Herald, the path to better health needs to better health needs to be taken one step at a time. Unlike the traditional mentality of suddenly going "cold turkey" or making some, usually impossible, New Year's resolution, we should try making little changes at first before slowly building up the big ones.

I couldn't agree more with the points raised in this article. Junk foods, when eaten regularly, can be just as addictive as nicotine. Finding the time to get in shape can be tough too, especially when you have an already hectic schedule. But that doesn't mean you can't try.

Start somewhere: set yourself reasonable goals. Begin with something simple, like cutting back on a cream and a sugar the next time you think about getting a double-double at Tim Horton's. Try to walk more; go for a stroll down the street to the corner store instead of driving. Remember to have some greens with every meal.

 Of course, for those of you looking to change your lifestyle slowly but surely, and lucky enough to live in Montreal, we can help you take the first step by getting things right with your diet. Our Lifestyle Meal Delivery Service can help get the nutrition your body needs, without having to spend hours in the kitchen every week. Our Weight Loss Meal Delivery Service can also help you go one step further towards your ideal body mass index. When either of these are coupled with the right amount of physical exercise, can achieve your health goals all that much quicker. But remember: it's not a race. Take things slowly. Get your nutrition right, and then start with those small exercise steps. Even if you're just having one more healthy meal a weak, and walking for 20 minutes more than usual, it's still a start. Maybe the week after you will be having two meals, and going for a jog instead of a walk. All it takes is starting somewhere.

21st Century Food site redesign coming soon.

We've heard your feedback, we've looked over our site, and we agree that 21stcenturyfood.com could use a bit of a face lift. In the coming weeks expect to see a few major changes to the way our content is laid out, as well as how our on site navigation works. All this is being done to help ensure that every visit to 21st Century Food, is pleasant and hassle-free. I'm sure you recognize our old tabs menu:

Well, soon it will be time to say goodbye to it, because we are going to be moving things around so that all of our pages can be found in a more intuitive manner.You will still be able to get where you want to be in as little as few clicks as possible, but what's different is that everything will be place in a more orderly fashion. No more having to go back a page to double check things: everything will be where you need it to be.

We will start posting more pictures soon, as the work gets underway, as well as a quick navigation tutorial to help everyone keep up to date.

21st Century Food myradioshop.ca Gift Cards

In case you didn't know, here at 21st Century Food, we've been having a bit of a secret giveaway over at myradioshop.ca. Five lucky people will be able to receive a $100 gift card for only $50!

The blog is back online

Well, after about a month of inactivity (shame on us), our company blog is now back online, so stay tuned for regular updates regarding new meals that we will be offering as well as some coupons and deals we might decide to post exclusively in this space.