Tag: National Nutrition Month

Celebrate National Nutrition Month® in March!

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Group of adults sitting at a table

This year’s National Nutrition Month® theme is “Food Connects Us.” Food is more than just a way to fuel the body—it brings us together. It connects us to our families, friends, and cultures. Sharing meals is an opportunity to learn about the food, who made it, and where the ingredients come from. Our food choices are shaped by health, traditions, seasons, and where we live, but the food we eat also affects our health.

This month, celebrate all the ways food can connect us:

  • Involve everyone in planning meals and choosing recipes to try together. Check out the Iowa State University Spend Smart. Eat Smart website, spendsmart.extension.iastate.edu, for low-cost, healthy, and easy-to-make recipes.
  • Make time to eat together with family or friends without distractions like phones or TV. Try out these conversation cards, store.extension.iastate.edu/product/6605.
  • If you have a spouse, children, or friends nearby, invite them to help with food prep and to enjoy a meal together.

Small changes can lead to big improvements in health. Celebrate National Nutrition Month® by involving family and friends to make meals more engaging and fun. Make one healthy change today! Check out 50 Ideas to Get Involved in National Nutrition Month, www.eatright.org, for more ideas.

Let’s fuel our bodies for a healthier future!

Source: EatRight.org, www.eatright.org

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Take a Tastebud Adventure

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Bowl of rice and vegetables

March is National Nutrition Month. This year the focus is “Celebrate a World of Flavors.” While food patterns are influenced by family traditions and ethnic or cultural groups, it is also wonderful to try and explore new foods. Here are four reasons to try new foods.

  1. Gain Appreciation for Other Cultures. Trying foods from other areas of the country or world can give you a greater appreciation and understanding of a different culture. Try nearby restaurants that serve cuisine you’ve never tried before. Go to a specialty grocery store (such as an Asian market or bodega) to buy something to try at home. Cook a new recipe. Explore the USDA Culture and Food website, www.nal.usda.gov/.
  2. Expand Your Options. By being adventurous and trying new foods, you’ll increase your meal options. This will help stop meal prep boredom of cooking the same meals or going to the same restaurants.
  3. Improve Nutrition. Eating and enjoying a wider variety of food also means that you’ll get more nutritional variety. This means finding new sources of essential vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients in which your current food patterns may be lower.
  4. Find Common Ground. A common social activity across nearly all cultures is eating. Mealtime is an opportunity for people to gather lowering feelings of loneliness and enhancing happiness.
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Personalize Your Plate

eminniha
Plate, fork, and knife on table

March is National Nutrition Month. This year’s theme is “Personalize Your Plate.” There is no one-size-fts-all when it comes to nutrition. Everyone is unique! Each of us has different tastes, traditions, and budgets.

Personalize your plate to make sure every bite counts by choosing “nutrient-dense” foods. Nutrient-dense foods are those that are high in nutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, but not very high in calories. The 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggests the following:

  1. Start with personal preferences. When choosing nutrient-dense foods, be sure to think about the healthy foods you and your family truly enjoy. If you and your family enjoy the food you eat, you will be more likely to retain your healthy eating habits over time.
  2. Celebrate your food traditions! For example, if your family traditionally enjoys eating spaghetti and meatballs, make the same dish using less sodium and saturated fat. Use low-sodium sauce. Use leaner beef or ground turkey for the meatballs. Choose whole grain pasta. With a few small changes, you can still enjoy any traditional dish.
  3. Consider your budget. Healthy eating can be budget friendly and delicious. The ISU Spend Smart. Eat Smart. website, spendsmart.extension.iastate.edu, is a great source for easy, low-cost recipes.

Sources: Eat Right, www.eatright.org, Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025, bit.ly/3jw8NIv

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