March is National Nutrition Month®, an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, targeting everyone to learn about making informed food choices and developing healthful eating and physical activity habits. This year’s theme “Personalize Your Plate” aims at encouraging individuals to create nutritious meals based on personal and cultural needs. Take a few minutes to look at your diet and use the My Plate to help you get started into fitting more nutrition into your day!
Make half your plate, fruits and vegetables.
- Focus on whole fruits. Choose whole, cut or pureed fruits- fresh, frozen dried or canned in 100% juice.
- Vary your veggies. Try adding fresh, frozen or canned vegetables to salads, sides and main dishes.
Make half your grains whole grains.
- Look for whole grains listed first on the ingredient list- try oatmeal, popcorn, teff, quinoa, millet, bulgur, brown rice, or breads, crackers, tortillas and noodles made with whole grain flours.
Vary your protein.
- Mix up your protein foods to include seafood, beans, peas and lentils, unsalted nuts and seeds, soy products, eggs and lean meats and poultry.
Move to low fat or fat free dairy milk or yogurt.
- Choose fat free milk, yogurt and calcium fortified soymilk to cut back on saturated fat.
Choose foods and beverages with less added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium.
- Use the Nutrition Facts Label and ingredients list to limit items high in saturated fat, sodium and added sugars. Choose vegetable oils instead of butter and oil based sauces and dips. Drink water instead of sugary drinks.
Small steps can lead to big changes in overall wellness. If you are unsure of your needs, reach out to a dietitian for assistance. If you would like to speak to a Registered Dietitian here at Windom Area Health, please call 507-831-0640 or learn more on our Diabetes & Nutrition page.
Test your nutrition knowledge by taking the National Nutrition Month 2021 Quiz: CLICK HERE
By Betsy Plotz, RD, LD