Illustration by Kat Frick Miller
Melrose Cornwall’s Thursday evenings are reserved for a friendly game of basketball. His weekly games lack the formality he was accustomed to from his middle-school and high-school teams, but it’s a good way to stay active, he says.
At 40, Cornwall has started prioritizing his health. For him, that means building muscle in the gym and improving his cardiovascular system through basketball.
As part of his healthy lifestyle, Cornwall has also increased his vegetable and fruit intake for fibre, upped his protein intake to fuel his muscle growth and drinks plenty of water to stay hydrated.
“Trying new restaurants and going out to our favourite greasy-food joint was a regular social outing for my friend group, but I’m trying to prioritize my health now,” he says, adding that he now visits his favourite restaurant in Toronto – Seoul Shakers – less than once every couple of months.
He finds that the new diet has helped him recover from his intense workouts quicker, and makes him lighter on the court.
His Thursday games also help him prepare for Bay Street Hoops, a basketball tournament that raises money for KidSport Toronto and Drive for Dreams, two charities that give youth access to sport by covering the cost of registration fees and taking care of other economic barriers to competitive sports, such as travel fees.
In addition to participating, Cornwall also helps organize the event. Like him, most players work in Toronto’s finance, tech and banking industries, and have played basketball growing up.
“The tournament lets us recapture our glory days of playing ball,” he says.
How I save money on groceries: I buy single-sourced and whole foods versus packaged, which saves me money.
How I splurge on groceries: I splurge on select items such as raw honey and sea moss, anything that gives me extra nutrients is worth the splurge.
The hardest shopping habit to keep up: Intentionally making my way to the grocery store instead of ordering grocery delivery or takeout from a restaurant.
How I’ve changed my eating habits recently: I’ve been trying to build more muscle, since it’s important for aging. I’m aiming for about 180 grams of protein per day. I’ve also been putting effort into buying Canadian food at the grocery store. Instead of Tropicana orange juice, I’ve switched to apple cider from Algoma Orchards, based in Ontario.
Five items always in my cart:
- Skyr yogurt – Siggi’s – $6.99: A go-to snack for me is yogurt topped with maple syrup or some mixed berries. It gives me about 18 grams of protein and satisfies my craving for sweets.
- Raw cream honey – Naturalia – $9.49: I use this to sweeten my peppermint tea. It’s a bit of a splurge, but it feels fancier and tastes better than regular honey.
- Spinach – Harvest Fresh – $3.99: Being an adult means eating your leafy greens on purpose. I toss a handful of spinach into my smoothies as an easy way to get the extra fibre, iron, calcium and antioxidants that come from it.
- Sea moss – Sea Moss Guy – $53.97 for 32 ounces: I’ve been buying this since 2019. I blend it up with some water and freeze it into cubes so it’s easy to toss into my smoothie and lasts me a couple of months. Culturally, coming from the Caribbean, we use it as a way to get additional nutrients such as vitamins A, B and C, and minerals including iodine and magnesium.
- Whole red snapper – $8 a pound: Red snapper is popular in the Caribbean. I grew up eating it, and it’s a good source of protein. I bake it and eat it with a bit of rice or roasted sweet potatoes and veggies such as a salad.
