March is National Nutrition Month



Hello nutrition!  March is National Nutrition Month.  The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics theme for 2016 is Savor the Flavor of Eating Right. 
What is National Nutrition Month?   It was created by the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics as a campaign to promote nutrition education and information.  Its focuses on consumers making informed decisions about food and promoting good eating habits and physical activity.  
       
     What can you do to improve your nutrition and physical activity?  
      In honor of National Nutrition Month, U.S. News and World Report is has come up with  30 simple health tips to try each day of March.  They recommend “making small changes that will lead to big improvements”.  Some easy health tips to try this week are:  
  1.  “Sip while you sit” – drink water while sitting at your desk, at home, in the car.  Move more is good but at least drinking water while sitting is a good health tip.  
  2.  “Find fiber” – most Americans are not getting enough fiber every day.  Focus on oatmeal, nuts, fresh fruit.    
  3. “Flip the package” and find the nutrition label.  How many calories in a serving of the food you are eating? How much fiber?  How much saturated fat?  What are the ingredients?  How much added sugar is in the ingredients?
  4.  “Pick plants” – eating more plant foods is healthier.  Getting more protein from plant sources like beans, nuts, peanut butter, tofu can help lower cholesterol, add fiber and improve your heart health.
  5. Choose dark chocolate – enjoying an ounce or two of dark chocolate can actually be good for your health. It can improve your mood and even be good for your heart. 
  6. Tea time – tea is a very healthy beverage, sans the added sugar.  Tea has good chemicals called polyphenols that are good for your bones and overall health.  Enjoy some tea every day this week.
  7.  Cook with your kids – there are huge benefits to having kids help out in the kitchen.  Have a picture in the cupboard of a table setting and have your preschooler help set the table.  Have them stir ingredients in a bowl.  Let them help measure ingredients to teach math and fractions.  Kids that help with meals are more liking to eat the food being served. 

 There are many more tips to try that we will explore next week.   Try these 7 tips this week for a healthier you. 

Sources:  30 simple health tips to try each day of March, National Nutrition Month,   Image Source:  Eat Right

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