Nutrition Month

Emily Newton 

Writer 

The month of March is National Nutrition Month, with the theme for 2014 being, “Enjoy the taste of eating right.”

In 1973, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics began their National Nutrition Week to draw attention and educate the public about nutrition. In the 1980s, their week-long campaign evolved into a month-long campaign, and it still exists as such today.

Eating right is not hard. It takes conscious effort, and with small steps, nutrition and overall health can be drastically improved (and taste good, too)!

Here are some steps to take toward “Enjoying the taste of eating right:”

* In accordance with My Plate, make half of your plate fruits and vegetables. The other half should contain proteins and grains.

* Make half of all grains whole grains.

* Substitute desserts with fruit and yogurt.

* Eliminate fried foods and try seasoning grilled items with garlic powder and pepper (instead of butter and salt).

* Eat more berries.

* Try olive oil instead of vegetable oil.

* Be conscious of the number of calories consumed daily; between 2000-2500 calories are recommended.

* Focus on the color and freshness of food choices.

* If microwaving food, heed the directions to “let food stand.” Food continues to cook once out of the microwave. If the recommended time is not met, then food may not be fully cooked.

* Eat chocolate! Consuming cocoa can help the vascular system by relaxing blood vessels, reducing blood clotting, reducing inflammation, and reducing heart disease risk due to the flavonols in the cocoa. To maximize benefits, consume chocolate with minimal processing and high cocoa content. This is mostly found in semi-sweet or bitter chocolates.

* Think about what is going into the body. Consider not just the taste, but also the effects the food will have on the body. “Eat to live, don’t live to eat.”

* Eat slowly. Savoring food can actually be more rewarding than quick consumption.

* Stop eating when you are full! There are no benefits in overeating.

* Eat with others. Social eating actually helps to limit overeating.

* Implement new changes slowly, but continuously. Eventually, the body will be so used to eating healthy foods that unhealthy options will not be appealing.

It is possible to eat a healthy meal and enjoy the taste. Make a healthy improvement and join the effort to “enjoy the taste of eating right,” this month.