When people talk about Mediterranean food, it's usually the flavourful dishes, fresh ingredients, crisp bread, olive oil and table wines that's the topic. But now the conversation is changing and the word is spreading about the nutritional benefits of this delicious and healthy approach to food.

What is a Mediterranean style diet?

In short, it's about making smart food choices. Select whole grains for your breads, cereals and starches. Choose fish, low-fat dairy, poultry, nuts and some lean meat to satisfy your protein needs. Reduce the amount of saturated fat in your diet and use olive or canola oil instead of butter. And most importantly, get plenty of fruits and vegetables.

What are the health benefits?

Since a Mediterranean style diet is made up mostly of fresh seasonal and easily stored produce, those delectable meals you enjoy are chock full of goodness. Which means thousands of micronutrients, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals that can help prevent chronic disease. And by limiting the amount of saturated fat and having more of the 'good' fats, you're ultimately helping to reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.

But obviously food alone can only do so much. A true Mediterranean style diet isn't just what you eat. It's the lifestyle as well. Although you can't spend days sitting back soaking in the sun, you can savour the aroma and taste of a meal shared with friends and family. You can pause to take in a moment. And strike a balance between what you eat and being active everyday.

A recent survey¹ on the lunch habits of Canadians uncovered some telling facts. In our rushed, time sensitive lives, more than half of us (53 per cent) spend the majority of our lunch breaks reading, surfing the Web, or working. And almost one in five Canadians do not stop for a lunch break at all.

Those that do eat lunch are looking for healthy ingredients (32 per cent), quality (25 per cent) and flavour (17 per cent). But the fact that more than a third of those surveyed only take a lunch break of 16-30 minutes suggests they are also looking for convenience.

Lunch. Too important to ignore.

"Lunch is the fuel that powers us through half our day and is an important part of a healthy lifestyle," said Annabelle Nogueira, Healthy Choice Brand Manager. "But with few convenient, healthy and flavourful options out there, too many Canadians are shortchanging themselves."

The survey underscores the need for a healthy and convenient lunchtime meal option like Healthy Choice Gourmet Steamers™. The majority of Canadians (60 per cent) feel that steaming is the healthiest way to prepare meals. But until recently, preparing a steamed meal was not a convenient lunch option for many; especially at work.

Lunch. Make a healthy break of it.

"Microwave ovens are commonplace in Canadian offices," says Ms. Nogueira. "Now with new Gourmet Steamers, we are now able to offer Canadians a flavourful, healthier lunchtime option that cooks up in five minutes or less. We're helping to make lunch a pleasure rather than an afterthought."

All the reason you need to get up from your desk and take the time out to enjoy a healthy, balanced lunch break.

¹Conducted by Angus Reid in 2009 for ConAgra Foods Canada.

Get ready to feel energized, strong, and fit! There are plenty of activities that will get your heart rate up without putting intensive strain on your body. Try these exercise moves for a great, stress-free workout.

Balance Mind, Body, and Spirit with Yoga

Developed from the ancient Indian spiritual practice focused on meditation, yoga has become a North American exercise phenomenon. Based on stretching and long movements, yoga centres the body and mind. People of all fitness levels can enjoy this activity, with many beginner-level yoga classes and video guides to help lead you through the varied moves and breathing exercises. Yoga has also been shown to dissipate stress, keeping your body and mind active.

Stretch for Strength with Pilates

Focusing on building strength through muscle-lengthening movements, Pilates is an extremely popular activity for people of all health levels. Pilates strengthens the core muscles of the abdomen and spine, and like yoga, it's as much a mental activity as it is a physical one. You'll elevate your heart rate, lengthen and tone your muscles and find inner serenity by mentally concentrating on your centre. Pilates may be practiced within a group or one-on-one, but it's best to work with an instructor to make sure you do all the movements correctly.

Get in Step with an Elliptical Trainer

Indoor exercise machines are an excellent way to stay in shape, as you don't need a sunny day to get moving. But for many people, treadmills or recumbent bikes are too stressful on certain joints and muscles. Opt to work out on an elliptical trainer, as its constant motion takes pressure off of your joints. You can move forward or backward on an elliptical machine, and many models have handrails that move for upper-body exercise.

Keep Your Cool with Water Activities

Find a local indoor pool, invest in a good pair of goggles and a swimsuit and get ready to take an aerobic dip. Swimming laps and alternating different types of strokes (front stroke, butterfly, breaststroke, or backstroke) is a great low-impact workout. Many pools also offer water aerobics, with all the moves of regular aerobics but none of the strain. Even treading water, while making large circles with your arms, is good exercise and important for water safety training.

Fourteen days to stress-less success. Starting...

Monday

Day 1: See the big picture. When obstacles pop up, ask yourself how stressful the situation really is: Will this matter in three months? Three years? For issues with long-term repercussions, write down exactly what you think the problem is or how the situation needs to change. Brainstorm about what you can do to move toward a better outcome, itemize the steps that must be taken, then create a concrete plan of action.

Tuesday

Day 2: Survey your support system. Make a list of people you could turn to for advice and hands-on help in a pinch. You'll probably realize you have more people to rely on for emotional, practical, or financial support than you thought you did. Knowing that they're there can mitigate the effects of stress and make you feel more resilient.

Wednesday

Day 3: Plant something. Whether it's a window box or a row of bulbs, caring for greenery can have a positive effect on your well-being. A recent study put heart-disease patients in a horticultural-therapy class. Immediately after the class, their heart rates were lowered and their moods improved. Gardening can help shift the focus away from the stresses in your life and calm you down.

Thursday

Day 4: Take tea. A recent British study found that regularly drinking black tea can lower levels of stress hormones and induce feelings of relaxation. Just be mindful of how much caffeine you drink before bedtime.

Friday

Day 5: Get a chair massage. These short massages now offered in salons, malls and airports can work wonders on chipping away accumulated stress. Even a 15-minute massage can calm nerves. Or try this DIY solution a few times a day: Place your left hand in front of you, palm-side up with your fingers together, and using your right thumb, massage the fleshy spot between your left thumb and index finger in a circular motion while you slowly count to 15.

Saturday

Day 6: Play on the Web. Doing online puzzles, like solitaire or sudoku, can decrease stress and improve mood, according to new research from East Carolina University, in Greenville, North Carolina. Because you're distracted from your worries by the game, your nervous system can relax. Find a game you like, one you become so absorbed in that you lose all track of time, and play it daily.

Sunday

Day 7: Bless yourself. Focusing on what you're grateful for flips a switch in your brain: When you let good things take centre stage, the stressful ones can recede. Make a list of three to five specific things you're thankful for—your husband did the laundry today, the new album you downloaded, and so on. With daily practice, gratitude will soon become a more natural state of mind.

Monday

Day 8: Think pink. You may find it too girly to wear, but, surprisingly, a bubblegum shade of pink originally called Baker-Miller Pink has been shown to have a temporary soothing effect, actually lowering blood pressure. To add a little pink to your day (without repainting your office), make your screen saver a bright pink image, store papers in pink file folders, put a pink pillow on your chair, or jot memos on pink Post-it Notes.

Tuesday

Day 9: Turn off the TV. Constant bombardment by news can make you feel anxious when you're already keyed up, and a blaring TV hits you with both visual and aural stimulation. Consider a quieter, more single-sensory form of news—whether it's the morning paper or the car radio. And limit your news to one source to keep from being overwhelmed.

Wednesday

Day 10: Take the scenic route. Whenever possible, get off crowded city streets and busy highways and take a tree-lined road to your destination. A 2003 study showed that the frustrations of commuting are somewhat eased if you travel down streets with views of vegetation.

Thursday

Day 11: Untie your knots. Several times a day, scan your body from top to bottom, focusing on the areas that are most vulnerable to stress-related muscle tension. Consciously release the muscles in your forehead, eyes, lips, tongue, jaw, lower back, and toes.

Friday

Day 12: Give bad thoughts the stop sign. Negative thinking can fuel stress. So when damaging, unhelpful thoughts come to mind, ask yourself: How could I look at this in a more positive or at least a neutral light? Or try visualizing a giant red stop sign in front of these thoughts. Then take a few slow, deep breaths and decide whether you need to dwell on the negative or can think about something more upbeat.

Saturday

Day 13: Lend someone a hand. Help a colleague who's in a jam, sign up to mentor a student, or volunteer at a women's shelter. Reaching out to someone else gets you away from your own worries, puts things in perspective, and can make you feel better about yourself and your circumstances.

Sunday

Day 14: Plan to laugh. Recent research has found that feel-good endorphins start cranking and the mood-boosting benefits kick in as soon as people start anticipating having a laugh, and a good belly laugh can relax your whole body. So record your favourite sitcom and let the good vibes start flowing.

Sleep in or exercise? Eat a doughnut for breakfast or nothing? Find out which is the better choice.

Exercise for half an hour three days a week or go for a two hour bike ride on the weekend?

Better choice: Half an hour, three days a week
Ideally, aim for 30 to 60 minutes of activity at least five days a week. Every time you exercise, you reap benefits like lowering blood sugar and boosting metabolism.

Apply a heating pad or an ice pack after a minor injury?

Better choice: Ice pack
The experts agree that for the first 24 to 48 hours of muscle soreness or injury, ice is the way to go. A tough workout can cause microscopic tears to the muscle tissue, which cause an inflammatory response and soreness. Ice will control the swelling.
But... After 48 hours, heat can be soothing, and it promotes blood flow to the area to help start the muscle-repair process.

Eat a doughnut for breakfast or eat nothing at all?

Better choice: Doughnut
If you haven't eaten for upwards of eight hours, your low blood sugar can make it difficult to focus on work. That's why experts begrudgingly recommend eating a doughnut (the plainer the better). Studies have also found that those who skip breakfast overcompensate by eating more calories throughout the day.
But... To offset some of the doughnut's shortcomings, drink a glass of low-fat milk for protein. It will help you feel fuller, longer.

Before going for a run, stretch for 5 minutes or walk for 5 minutes?

Better choice: Walk
To prepare your body for an activity, the best thing you can do is a similar activity that's slower and gentler. So start with a walk, then gradually raise your intensity. Stretching cold muscles can increase your risk of injury, which is why experts believe that it's better done after your body is warmed up.
But... Stretching promotes flexibility, which may also lessen the risk of injury. Just be sure to warm up first or stretch after exercise.

Sleep an extra hour or get up and exercise?

Better choice: Exercise
Contrary to popular belief, a full eight hours of sleep isn't necessary for good health, but regular exercise is. Studies have shown that people who sleep seven hours a night have a lower mortality rate than those who sleep more than eight hours. And if you have trouble getting up early, the best solution is... getting up early. Going outside to exercise in the morning light will help reset your body clock and eventually make it easier to wake up earlier.
But... If you're particularly sleep-deprived—you have a new baby, say—it's not worth sacrificing sleep to exercise. In addition to fatigue and difficulty focusing, inadequate sleep may contribute to depression, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes, according to the U.S. National Sleep Foundation.