Certified Holistic Nutritionist and foodie Jordana Hart knows that healthy meals can be daunting to some, but insists it doesn’t actually need to be complicated. With a social media following of over 150,000 (@ihartnutrition) and as founder of her wellness and nutrition brand, I HART Nutrition, Jordana is known for sharing her simple and balanced approach to health and wellness. Most recently, she’s partnered with beloved grocery store Farm Boy on their Eating Colourfully campaign, which is all about getting Canadians to eat the rainbow and live a vibrant life. We caught up with Jordana to talk about what it means to eat colourfully, the true meaning of superfoods and immunity-boosting ingredients (including some of her favourites) and her favourite meals to cook. Read on for the full interview.
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What does eating colourfully mean?
Eating colourfully really just means eating a variety of different fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, getting colour on your plate and eating an array of different foods.
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How can you incorporate eating colourfully in your daily meals?
I always say keep it super simple. You could start by just adding different fruits and vegetables to the foods you’re already eating. If you’re making a pasta dish that you love, maybe add in some mushrooms or broccoli for some extra colour and nutrition. I love smoothies because you [can] just add in tons of fruits, healthy fats and protein in one go. Eating colourfully doesn’t need to be complicated. It’s truly just adding colour to what you’re eating and making sure there’s some variety on your plate.
You don’t need to go and make some fancy, elaborate dinner. Sometimes when I’m in a pinch, I’ll just go and buy a pre-made Farm Boy Greek salad, for example. It’s so convenient, so healthy. So I think just taking the pressure off and choosing convenience is really helpful.
Jordana Hart/I HART Nutrition
What are your favourite superfoods?
Just to preface, superfoods — they’ve become so fuzzy. It’s such a buzzword and a “super” really just needs to mean that you’re getting a lot of nutrition in one food. So if you’re eating colourfully, you’re getting tons of superfoods in your diet. One superfood I really love is chia seeds. It’s an amazing source of fibre and healthy fats. You could put them in yogurt, you could make a chia pudding. Extra virgin olive oil is also an amazing source of healthy fat. I use it every single day and I add it [to] all of my dressings. I cook with it. It’s very anti-inflammatory, helps fight infection and is amazing for brain health. Some others that I love are garlic and ginger. They are both, antibacterial [and] high in antioxidants. They make your food so flavourful, but they are so rich in nutrients and make every dish extra special.
What are your favourite immunity-boosting ingredients?
Superfoods and the immune-boosting foods really overlap. So those ones I mentioned are interchangeable. I also would say adding citrus. Fruits like lemons [and] oranges, they’re high in Vitamin C and [are] such an amazing way to boost your immune system. I also love something like sauerkraut or anything fermented. They’re rich in probiotics and they help boost immunity.
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That’s really interesting! I didn’t know about sauerkraut.
I like sauerkraut and kimchi because they’re fermented, you’re getting natural probiotics. They’re incredible for you. Kimchi is the best thing ever!
How can you incorporate immunity-boosting ingredients more in healthy meals?
I think adding them to smoothies is so key and I love it. I love making my own dips, and it’s a great way to get [some] in. Ginger, garlic, fresh herbs like parsley [and] citrus foods like fresh lemon. When you’re able to blend them into one dish, that’s amazing. But also just adding them into your day-to-day life. Like I always say, if someone doesn’t want to have a big salad, make a wrap and just stuff it with vegetables, protein and healthy fat. Having a wrap is such an easy way to get in your superfoods. So if you want to incorporate more spinach and avocado, put it in a wrap, add rotisserie chicken and then you have lunch.
What are some of your favourite meals to cook?
I am a huge salmon girl! It’s high in protein and healthy fat. I like to do a lot of salmon bowls where I will make rice, maybe cut some cucumber for a cucumber salad, and [add] some roasted veggies I have in my fridge, with rice and avocado. I love making a wrap and just going into my fridge and putting all of my leftovers into [it]. It’s very convenient, and I love making pasta salads. It’s a really easy way to get tons of veggies without feeling like you’re eating a big salad.
This interview has been edited and condensed.