Food can be both nutritious and delicious
March is National Nutrition Month, established by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.
Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean tossing out everything in the pantry and committing to a strict diet of tasteless foods. It’s more about trying new, healthy options that could become favorite recipes, while learning to cut back on things that aren’t good for us.
It’s also about balance. We can still enjoy certain high-calorie foods or sugary desserts now and then, as long as we remember to balance them out with healthier meals and snacks on a more regular basis.
The key is to try to make small changes in our daily lives, with an eye on achieving our personal nutrition goals.
Here are some simple tips for getting started:
Enjoy healthy foods from all four food groups. Fill half your plate with fruits and vegetables, and a quarter each with whole grains and protein from lean meats, poultry, fish or beans. When choosing dairy, look for fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt or cheese.
Explore new foods and flavors. You can expand your palate by mixing in varieties of fruits and vegetables you’ve never tried before, or sampling styles of cuisine that are new to you and your family.
Focus on your food. Avoid distractions and take time to enjoy your meals. Mindful eating can make you more aware of when and why you eat what you do and help you build a healthier relationship with food.
Watch what you buy. Make sure to check nutrition labels when shopping at the grocery store. The labels can help you compare the amounts of calories, fats, dietary fiber, sodium and vitamins and minerals in different items, so you can avoid filling your cart with unhealthy options.
Avoid empty calories. Sugary snacks, desserts and drinks offer little of the nutrients our bodies need to grow and be healthy. Limit your intake of added sugars, drink more water and fewer sugary drinks, and watch for hidden sugars in salad dressings, whole-grain cereal, yogurt and dried fruits.
Set a good example. Choosing to make nutrition a priority in your home and modeling healthy eating habits for your children can put them on a path to a healthy future.
Here are links to resources we’ve selected to help you spread the word about eating well.
We’ve chosen articles from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on how nutrition can impact our health, food safety concerns related to COVID-19, strategies for losing weight, healthy tips for dining out, and foods to support improved memory.
Plus, we’ve picked healthy recipes for 5-day salad, angel food cake, Asian mango chicken wraps, and vegetable quiche.
Consider sharing these links with your employees as part of your health promotion activities this month.
Thank you,
Human Resources