March is National Nutrition Month® and this year’s campaign focuses attention on “making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.” (eatright.org) By making good choices with every bite we take, we can change our nutritional health over time, and create a permanent healthy lifestyle.
Some of the main points of this year’s campaign are:
- Create an eating style that includes a variety of our favorite, healthful foods. We can accomplish this by trying one new fruit and one new vegetable each month. This will expand our “favorite” food list to include many healthy items.
- Practice cooking more at home and experiment with healthier ingredients. Make it a family activity to plan, shop for, and prepare several meals for the week. Get everyone involved by setting guidelines of one fruit, one or two vegetables and one lean protein at each meal.
- How much we eat is as important as what we eat. Portion size is a key factor in preventing overeating, especially on the more calorie dense foods that we consume, like grains, breads and sweets. A small sweet treat after a good healthy meal is just fine… as long as the main foods we eat each day are nutritionally dense, like fruits and veggies.
- Find activities that you enjoy and be physically active most days of the week. Walk, bike, run, dance, play tag, play whiffle ball… whatever makes you move!
- Manage weight or lower health risks by consulting a registered dietitian nutritionist for sound, healthy nutrition advice. Seek sound advice when you need it. A registered dietitian nutritionist is a qualified source that has been educated in nutrition science.
By following sound nutritional guidelines, we can change our health, one forkful at a time.