By: Sarah E. Pember, MT, CHES
March is National Nutrition Month, a month for getting back to the basics on just what it means to follow a healthy, nutritious diet and encourage some creative ways to make following a healthy meal pattern a bit easier and more enticing.
But first, just what is a healthy dietary pattern? The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans were released this January, and the overarching recommendation was to focus on overall intake, the total consumption of foods and beverages over the course of a few days or a week. A healthy dietary pattern is an intake of food that provides the right amount of nutrition for an individual while limiting the added sugars, sodium (salt), and saturated (generally solid) and trans fats that research shows have negative impacts on our health. More specifically, a healthy dietary pattern includes eating:
The complete Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015 can be found here. |
For National Nutrition Month 2016, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is encouraging the nation to “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right”:remembering that the how, when, why, and where of what we eat is just as important as what we eat. Eating is a social experience, one that brings together families, communities, and cultures, and it is important that we gather to savor meals, eating slowly and mindfully, and enjoying the traditions being carried on and the memories being made.
Savoring healthy meals with family and friends does not mean skimping on flavor. Instead of relying on the standard techniques of adding excess sugar, sodium (salt), and saturated fats to our meals to increase their flavor, it is important to learn new ways of making healthy foods more appealing.
The best way to increase flavor without adding sodium, sugar, or excess fat is to use herbs, spices, and salt-free (or low-sodium) seasonings.
Here are some new combinations to try from the HeartBright Foundation:
The best way to increase flavor without adding sodium, sugar, or excess fat is to use herbs, spices, and salt-free (or low-sodium) seasonings.
Here are some new combinations to try from the HeartBright Foundation:
For more tips on reducing sugar, sodium, and saturated and trans fats from your diet, visit eatright.org.
Remember also to cook predominantly with plant-based oils, such as olive or grapeseed oil, instead of saturated and solid fats, like margarine or butter.
Why not use March as the month when you experiment with new flavors in the kitchen, slow down and savor your meals, and set (or reset) the foundations for a healthy dietary pattern for you and those you love?
References:
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (2016) National Nutrition Month. Available at http://www.eatright.org/resources/national-nutrition-month
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. Available at http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/.
Remember also to cook predominantly with plant-based oils, such as olive or grapeseed oil, instead of saturated and solid fats, like margarine or butter.
Why not use March as the month when you experiment with new flavors in the kitchen, slow down and savor your meals, and set (or reset) the foundations for a healthy dietary pattern for you and those you love?
References:
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. (2016) National Nutrition Month. Available at http://www.eatright.org/resources/national-nutrition-month
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 – 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. Available at http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/.