SMALL, PRACTICAL STEPS FOR LASTING WELLBEING

Collaboration with Boulangerie St-Méthode

After the festive season and in the first months of the new year, many people want to improve their diet. To achieve this, it’s essential to revisit your lifestyle habits by prioritizing realistic, sustainable changes. The ideal approach is to gradually build small daily actions: these actions, accumulated day after day, lead to real long-term transformation. Over the coming months, in collaboration with Boulangerie St-Méthode, I’ll be delighted to support you and help you move towards better overall health, both physical and psychological.

Five easy habits to adopt:

1. Drink enough water

Water should be the drink of choice for daily hydration. It’s essential for several bodily functions, such as temperature regulation, joint lubrication and waste elimination. Water, herbal infusions, and even tea and coffee are all beverages that help maintain good hydration throughout the day. Adults’ needs generally range from 2.2 to 3 litres of water per day.

Isabelle’s tip: always carry a reusable water bottle. To jazz up your water, add citrus slices and fresh mint leaves.

2. Meet your fibre needs

Fibre helps regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol and normalize bowel function. Fruit, vegetables, pulses and whole grains all help meet fibre needs. Adults’ requirements generally range from 21 to 38 g of fibre per day.

Isabelle’s tip: choose a loaf that provides at least 4 g of fibre per 2-slice serving, a practical, simple way to help meet your needs.

3. Include a source of protein at every meal

Protein supports satiety and helps maintain muscle mass. It also plays an important role in immune function, hormone production, bone health and skin renewal. In healthy adults, needs are 0.8 g/kg/day - for example, 56 g/day for a 70 kg person. For older adults, studies suggest 1 to 1.2 g/kg/day to help limit muscle loss - i.e., 70 to 84 g/day for a 70 kg individual. Eggs, poultry, fish, seafood, pulses and meat are examples of protein-rich foods.

Many other foods, such as milk, soya drinks and grain products, also provide protein. Here are a few examples for typical portions:

- 1 medium egg = 6 g of protein

- 90 g of meat, poultry or fish = 21 g of protein

- 250 ml (1 cup) milk = 9 g of protein

- 125 ml (½ cup) cottage cheese = 13 g of protein

- 125 ml (½ cup) plain skyr yoghurt = 11 g of protein

- 2 slices St-Méthode 100% wholegrain sprouted wheat loaf = 8 g of protein

Isabelle’s tip: boost breakfast protein by choosing a bread that provides 7 g of protein or more per 2-slice serving, and adding protein sources such as Greek yoghurt, milk, cottage cheese, nuts and seeds.

4. Plan your snacks

Snacks help keep energy levels more stable throughout the day and provide support between meals. Pairing a carbohydrate source with a protein source is ideal. Carbohydrates (e.g., fruit, vegetables, bread, crackers, etc.) provide energy, while proteins (e.g., cheese, nuts, hummus, etc.) support satiety.

Isabelle’s tip: on Sundays, prep snacks in advance: cut your fruit, prep your vegetables, cube your cheese, portion out nuts, and so on.

5. Read the Nutrition Facts table

A great habit to adopt in 2026 is learning how to read the Nutrition Facts table. It indicates, among other things, the amount of saturated fat, sugars and sodium, three nutrients it’s best to limit. As a rule of thumb, 5% or less is a little, and 15% or more is a lot.

Isabelle’s tip: since 1 January, a nutrition symbol on the front of packages identifies, at a glance, products that are high in sodium, saturated fat and/or sugar. Look for products that do not display the symbol!

Keep your eyes peeled, more healthy tips are coming over the next three months. See you very soon for what’s next.

Want to learn more about the product range at Boulangerie St-Méthode? CLICK HERE

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