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National Nutrition Month, March 2019
Patrice Powers-Barker, OSU Extension, Lucas County
The Truth Contributor
Every March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
celebrates National Nutrition Month. They promote a “vision
of a world where all people thrive through the
transformative power of food and nutrition” at
www.eatright.org. Some years they promote a theme
for National Nutrition Month. This year they share 10 key
messages to help individuals and families make the best
choices their unique lifestyle. As you think about yourself,
your family and friends and your lifestyle, how can you best
live out these key messages?
1.
Discover the benefits of a healthy eating style.
This is personal. What reasons do you need to eat healthy?
Sometimes the details for our nutrition goals come from our
family health history other times they come from our desire
to feel better. What benefits do you reap from a healthy
eating style?
2.
Choose foods and drinks that are good for your
health.
Although foods are an important part of our diet, drinks can
also offer good nutrients for health. Choose water and 100%
juice and milk first. Save the high calorie drinks for
occasional events.
3.
Include a variety of healthful foods from all of the
food groups on a regular basis.
Do you eat or drink foods from all five food groups every
day?
Make half your plate fruits and veggies. Go for all colors
of fruits and vegetables for a variety of nutrients. Look
for the whole grains in bread, rice and cereals. Use the
ingredients list on the back to be sure the first ingredient
says “whole” grain. Choose lean meat, chicken and turkey and
skip the frying. Beans, peas, nuts, seeds, fish, and eggs
are all great sources of protein, too. Calcium builds strong
bones. If you cannot have milk products, choose other
calcium sources like fortified soy milk
4.
Select healthier options when eating away from home.
It is not unusual that many of our meals are eaten away from
home. What are your daily patterns? Do you eat on the road?
At work? At restaurants? When you have the choice, make the
healthy one.
5.
Be mindful of portion sizes. Eat and drink the amount
that is right for you, as MyPlate encourages us to do. Most people are aware that
the portion sizes of food in the United States are usually
much larger than the recommended serving sizes. The serving
size is the recommended amount food for healthy eating given
by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The portion size is
what is served on the plate or how much we choose to eat.
Sometimes, too large of portions lead to eating too much
food and that can increase weight gain.
6.
Keep it simple. Eating right doesn't have to be
complicated.
If you enjoy making elaborate recipes, that’s great. If you
don’t enjoy making complicated dishes, that is OK too.
Eating right can be as simple as making the healthy choices
within the five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains,
protein and milk.
7.
Make food safety part of your everyday routine.
Most people are good about washing their hands before eating
or preparing food. That is the easiest step to keep
healthy. There are additional steps to keep your food safe
for your health. Use different cutting boards for fresh
produce verses raw meat. Do not cross-contaminate the raw
meat with other raw foods or even cooked foods. Wash and
sanitize cooking surfaces. Keep food that need to be cold in
the refrigerated until you need them and heat up cooked
foods to a high enough temperature to be food safe.
8.
Help to reduce food waste by considering the foods
you have on hand before buying more at the store.
“Shopping” your refrigerator and pantry not only reduces
food waste but also saves money. Match this tip with tip
number five and keep your grocery list and costs in check.
For meals at home, plan
menus and shop the kitchen first. Review what food is
already in the kitchen whether it’s canned food in the
cupboard, fresh food in the refrigerator or frozen food in
the freezer.
9.
Find activities that you enjoy and be physically
active most days of the week.
Healthy food choices and physical activity go hand-in-hand.
Sure, you can do one and not the other, but together they
help you meet the goals of tip number one.
10.
Consult the nutrition experts. Registered Dietitian
Nutritionists can provide sound, easy-to-follow personalized
nutrition advice to meet your lifestyle, preferences and
health-related needs.
Registered Dietitian’s have studied, practiced and share the
most up-to-date information on eating well. They can be of
assistance to those who are currently facing a health crisis
(such as kidney disease, or heart disease or diabetes) and
they can help with guidance to those who are not currently
ill.
A registered dietitian nutritionist provides realistic
nutrition advice that you can stick with for the long haul!
National Nutrition Month
If you have kidney
disease, a registered dietitian nutritionist can be a
valuable resource! Learn more about an RDN’s role in
treating this disease: http://sm.eatright.org/kidneydisRDN #eatright
#NationalKidneyMonth March 11-17: Did you know #nutrition
plays a major role in brain health? These four foods may
help boost your memory: http://sm.eatright.org/memoryboost #eatright
#BrainAwarenessWeek
March 13: A registered
dietitian nutritionist provides safe, realistic #nutrition
advice that you can stick with for the long haul! Here are
10 reasons to visit an RDN: http://sm.eatright.org/visitRDN
#eatright #NationalNutritionMonth #RDNDay March 14: School
meals have most likely changed since you were a student!
Learn more about today’s school lunch program: http://sm.eatright.org/shcllunchprogram
#ISMD2019 #eatright
Looking for ways to get
involved in #NationalNutritionMonth? Here are some ideas for
schools, workplaces and grocery stores: http://
sm.eatright.org/getinvolvedNNM #eatright There are many fun,
creative ways to celebrate #NationalNutritionMonth! For
inspiration, take a look at this helpful resource: http://sm.eatright.org/toolkitNNM
#eatright
Did you know #NationalNutritionMonth
2019 will be honored as its own theme? Learn more about the
annual campaign: http://sm.eatright.org/NNM2019 #eatright
Registered Dietitian
Nutritionist Day is March 13! Here are some ways to
recognize RDNs in your organization and community: http://sm.eatright.org/RDNday2019
#RDNday #NationalNutritionMonth
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