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What is National Nutrition Month?

National Nutrition Month is a campaign that focuses on making better food choices and developing healthy eating and physical habits. National Nutrition Month is celebrated every March and is sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Each week the campaign focuses on a different topic that helps you set attainable nutrition goals and provides tools to succeed on your journey to better health. The Academy also designates the second Wednesday of March to recognize the registered dietitian nutrition’s (RDNs) and the nutrition and dietetic technicians (NDTRs) across the nation who are indispensable providers of food nutrition services and are committed to helping people enjoy healthy lives.

WEEK ONE focuses on eating a variety of nutritious foods every day. How can you eat a variety of different foods daily, and how do you know that they are healthy? The nutrition label is the best place to evaluate if that food item is a healthier option. One thing that works best for me is label comparing. Packages and advertising can be misleading, but if you take two similar products and look at them side by side, you can make a better decision on the “facts” versus the potential misleading claims you have heard or see on the front of the package. First, look at the serving size. This gives you an idea of the suggested serving size for that item.

Many people tend to look for macro nutrients-calories, fat, and protein. This is a great way to start, but also consider looking at added sugar and the ingredients list. Foods with added sugar often lack nutrients. Look for Items that limit to <10% of your total calories per day from added sugar. As for the ingredients list, look at the first three ingredients. This will tell you what the items are primarily composed of. Also, the longer the ingredient list, the more processed the item likely is. Now that you understand the nutrition label better, how do you add various foods? One of my favorite ways to add various fruits and vegetables is by adding them to a smoothie. You can add 2-3 different fresh or frozen fruits to your smoothie and incorporate some vegetables such as spinach or kale. If you’re a picky eater like myself, hiding vegetables in sauces can also be a way of combining different vegetables in a meal that you wouldn’t typically eat. Spaghetti sauce is one of the easiest ways to “hide” additional vegetables. Blend carrots, mushrooms, celery, and bell peppers and add to your favorite spaghetti sauce.

WEEK TWO focuses on planning your meals each week. This can be pre-prepping meals or snacks at the beginning of the week to as simple as planning meals before grocery shopping. If you like to grocery shop each week for meals, plan ahead and make a list. This will keep you on track at the grocery store and help eliminate purchasing random items that may not fit into your healthy meal plan. It will also help you stay on budget and limit that mid-week temptation to eat take-out. Meal prepping can also be useful in eliminating the temptation to eat out. I suggest starting small and working your way up. Meal prepping can be stressful, but starting with one meal per day and increasing as you are comfortable helps set you up for success. Breakfast and snacks are usually easy meals to prepare ahead of time. You can put smoothie ingredients in pre-portioned bags in the freezer, and all you need to do is add your liquid and blend it together in the morning. Overnight oats are also simple to prepare ahead of time (see recipes below). skill to develop for healthy eating is to have healthy ingredients on hand in your refrigerator or in your pantry. Try and keep fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables on hand—stock ingredient cabinet with sodium-free seasoning and dried herbs. Fill your pantry with shelf-stable items such as dried beans, canned vegetables without added salt, and whole grains like brown rice and whole-grain pastas. Sometimes making the same recipes over and over again can make it hard to stay on track with healthy eating. Try new recipes from other cultures to help add a variety to your diet. This will give you the chance to try different protein or vegetable options that you wouldn’t typically have tried before. If you are someone who isn’t comfortable in the kitchen and nervous about trying new recipes, try out a cooking class. This could be a way to learn new cooking techniques and build your confidence in the kitchen.

WEEK FOUR focuses on consulting a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. RDN’s can help with personalized nutrition advice and help make your health goals more attainable. Making a change in your eating habits can be stressful, but the RDN’s are there to help keep you on track, encourage you to be successful, and help troubleshoot any obstacles you may encounter. Change, in general, is hard, but with an RDN in your corner, you are already taking significant steps to a healthier lifestyle.

OVERNIGHT OATS

• 1 cup of oats (I like instant or steel-cut) • 1 cup of 2% milk • 1 Tbsp. of peanut butter • 1 Tbsp. of dried cranberries • ½ Tbsp. of brown sugar (can use sugar substitute) • 1 Mason jar with lid

Mix all ingredients in a jar at night and place them in the refrigerator. Pull out of the refrigerator the next morning when ready to eat. If you prefer oatmeal to be warm, you place it in the microwave for a few seconds.

**All ingredients can be substituted**

SMOOTHIE RECIPE

• 6oz of yogurt of choice • 1 cup of fresh or frozen fruit • A hand full of spinach or kale • 1 cup of liquid (milk or 100% juice) • ½ -1 frozen banana • ½ cup of ice

Mix all ingredients in a blender and blend. Enjoy!

You may need to add more liquid or ice depending on how you prefer your smoothie.