March is National Nutrition Month™, sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and this year’s theme is Personalize Your Plate.
National Nutrition Month® was initiated in 1973 as National Nutrition Week and became a month-long observance in 1980. The second Wednesday of March is Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day, an annual celebration of the dedication of RDN’s as the leading advocates for advancing the nutritional status of Americans around the world. In 2021, the observance is on March 10.
With America being a diverse country with many cultures, you can’t expect everyone’s food choices to be the same. Eating is meant to be a pleasurable experience with the opportunity to enjoy many different types of foods. It’s important to create nutritious meals that represent a variety of cultural preferences.
Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring either. Variety is the spice of life, and whether you prefer cuisine that is Greek, Japanese, Mexican, Korean, Thai, Spanish, Italian, Indian, French, Lebanese or American (to name a few), you can eat healthy! Using natural and un-processed ingredients and good preparation techniques, a delicious and healthy meal can be at your fingertips.
So, what does it mean to you to Personalize Your Plate? Maybe it’s trying a new interesting food, incorporating spices, adding more colorful foods, taking a cooking class, buying a new kitchen gadget, or just slowing down to eat, savoring every bite and eating mindfully.
During National Nutrition Month, we encourage you to make informed food choices and develop sound eating and physical activity habits you can follow all year long. Let a Wellview Registered Dietitian help you!
Sherree Telford, RD, LDN, CDCES, CHWC
Director of Solutions | Email Sherree
