Taking a Bite to Better Health
By Kathryn Lopez
Healthy Eating is Easy!
March is National Nutrition Month, and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reminds us that eating healthy begins one step at a time. This means that small changes can help you attain your healthy eating goals this year and beyond. These small changes can build healthy habits we carry for a lifetime.
Throughout the month, the Academy is promoting four categories through weekly messages to help focus attention on how to make those changes. This includes varying your diet to include healthy foods from all food groups, meal prepping and cooking, as well as visiting a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN), who can help you achieve your nutrition goals with your personal needs and concerns in mind. So this March, let’s remember to focus on the small changes we can make each day that will make healthy eating easy!
Vary Your Diet
It seems like an age-old adage that we’ve all heard, but this message somehow gets overlooked in the diet-crazed society we live in today. High-carb, low-carb, low-protein, low-fat, high-fat or simply calorie restricted diets are so popular today that our nutritional needs are often overlooked. We can easily become deficient in important vitamins and minerals when following fad diets. This is why we need to re-assess what we eat and ask ourselves if we are getting all the nutrients we need each day. What is the best way to do that? Vary your diet. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends choosing healthy options from all food groups, taking time to enjoy your food, and practicing portion control. This way, instead of restricting yourself, you will be able to take advantage of all your favorite foods while maybe even learning to love some new ones in the process. Reading nutrition labels is also important. Food buying can be a challenging process, especially with so many options on the market, but learning how to interpret labels is a skill that can help you make informed decisions about the foods you’re buying and help you choose healthier options. You can learn how to read labels at FDA.gov (www.fda.gov) or the American Heart Association’s (https://www.heart.org). Of course, you can always reach out to an RDN as well!
Plan Your Meals
Meal prepping can be a challenge, and it is especially hard to know where to start, particularly when people don’t have time to cook. However, there are many websites that offer great tasting, budget friendly recipes that are healthy and can be prepared in 30 minutes. You can also search for slow-cooker recipes. Once you have your recipes, create a shopping list of foods that you need for the week. By putting most of the work on one-day during the week and having what you need available, it will be easier to follow your meal plan. However, meal prep means more than just when preparing foods at home. Even on days that you don’t plan to eat at home, because of work functions, school events and traveling, you still want to make informed decisions about the foods you are choosing. Most restaurants provide calorie and nutritional information for their menu options. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has resources available online to help make the best decisions when dining out. These include, eating light meals throughout the rest of the day, eating slowly, filling your plate with veggies, and watching for wording like “fried,” breaded,” or “creamy,” because these often come with extra calories and fat.
Cooking is Key
Cooking at home is important in keeping your healthy eating goals. This is because when you cook at home, you control the ingredients and the way food is prepared, which can help limit your intake of sodium, fat and calories. Some helpful tips include, keeping healthy ingredients at home, like low-sodium soy sauce or part-skim ricotta, which could help reduce the sodium content in stir-fry or the fat in lasagna. Another helpful tip is sharing meals together to create a better mealtime experience. Make dinner the main event, and not just a chore. Involve the whole family, and they may be more tempted to try new foods when you let them help in the kitchen. Finally, try new flavors, such as different ethnic dishes or new foods, such as hummus or broccolini. You might find new healthy foods becoming a favorite snack or side dish option!
Visit a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
An RDN is an expert in the field of nutrition and a great resource for answering healthy eating questions. If you don’t know where to look, you can always ask your doctor for a referral or reach out to a local supermarket or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) office in your community. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers online resources as well to help you find an RDN in your area. For more information, visit: https://www.eatright.org/find-an-expert.
RDNs can help create goals and nutrition plans based on your needs to optimize your success. So, this March remember that healthy eating can be easy, as long as you take it “Bite by Bite.”
For more information about nutrition and healthy eating tips, check out: www.eatright.org.
source: eatright.org
Kathryn Lopez is an intern in the Dietetic Internship Program at Virginia State University (VSU). She holds a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Arizona State University.
This article was reviewed and endorsed by Meghan Garrett, a Registered Dietitian and Dietetic Internship Coordinator at VSU.