Build a Healthy Foundation During National Nutrition Month

Tuesday, 02 March 2010

March is National Nutrition Month®, a nutrition education and information campaign created by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. This year, National Nutrition Month is reminding Americans that good nutrition starts from the ground up. Making nutritional change doesn’t have to be extreme; you can work slowly to build a solid foundation of health eating habits.

The ADA provides these tips for getting started:

  • Focus on fruits and veggies: Add a serving to one meal each day, then add in another serving in a few weeks.
  • Look locally: Farmer’s markets and other local agriculture provide more options to find new, fresh foods in your area.
  • Make calories count: Don’t automatically turn down a high-calorie food – check its vitamin and nutrient content first. Make sure your calories aren’t empty calories.
  • Test your taste buds: A healthy eating plan emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy and includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans and nuts. There are endless combinations in that list of foods – try something different next time you go shopping.
  • Trick yourself with treats: If you have a sweet tooth, try having fruit or yogurt when a craving strikes. If you yearn for salty snacks, chew on trail mix or nuts. You don’t have to go hungry to be healthy.

A healthy diet is a key part of an all around heart-healthy lifestyle. Find more resources and information on the Heart-Healthy Firefighter Program web site. Learn more about National Nutrition Month at www.eatright.org.

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