The month of March is National Nutrition Month, which is very fitting as the days are getting longer and we begin to think about plants and gardens and things blooming in the coming season. Over the winter, people often fall into a rut with their eating habits and may lean toward heavier comfort foods. Spring is a great time to look ahead and focus on cleaning up our diet.
Here are 5 ways that you can focus on your nutrition this month:
Eat a wide variety of nutritious foods
- Try eating as many colors in the rainbow as possible
- Aim for 5 servings of fruits or veggies each day
- Make sure to incorporate your favorite cultural foods and traditions
See an RDN (Registered Dietician Nutritionist)
- Your doctor can help you find a nutritionist that specializes in your area of concern
- An RDN can provide you with reliable information that busts through many dietary myths and fads
Plan ahead to eat healthy meals
- Plan your dinners a week at a time and go to the grocery store with a list
- Pro-tip: don’t go to the grocery store hungry and focus on the perimeter where most of the fresh foods are located
- Meal prep on the weekends so that dinner time can be less stressful
- When going out to eat, look at the menu online ahead of time and have a plan
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Create tasty meals at home
- Home cooked meals tend to have fewer hidden ingredients and calories
- Have fun trying new spices, flavors and recipes
- Enjoy your meals with friends and family as much as possible
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Include the whole family – have fun with it!
- Kids can have fun with cooking too! Give them little jobs to help put the meal together
- Consider having them help with meal planning or picking cultural themes for different dinners
- Check out this fun grocery store super-food scavenger hunt PDF: ACLM-Super-Foods-Scavenger-Hunt