Celebrate National Nutrition Month and Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day!

With the New Year’s Resolution dust settling, we venture into March which is National Nutrition Month. Now that the pressures of “changing” ourselves are behind us, we can celebrate our individuality with this year’s National Nutrition Month (NNM) theme: Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day. This message reinforces the belief of many registered dietitians, like myself, that the key to wellness and good nutrition is with individualized steps. No one expects you to do a complete overhaul on your life—instead, take small steps to improve your health that fit within your lifestyle. Everyone has their own specific situations and likes which equate to different changes and methods to reach their goals. For this reason, there is not one way to eat right, there are infinite ways including ones that fit into your lifestyle. Here are ways to eat right, your way…

Dining out

• Check out the menu ahead of time. Look for healthier cooking methods such as baked, broiled, or steamed. Be careful of terms such as creamy or crispy which can often add calories and fat.
• Ask to swap sides. Ever notice when dishes come with sides like potatoes and rice? Instead of two starchy sides, swap one (or both) for non-starchy veggies like spinach, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini or string beans.

On a budget

• Make meals from scratch. Purchasing foods closer to their natural form (not already pre-made, processed or flavored) is an excellent way to save money while creating healthier meals.
• Shop in season. As produce comes into season, it’s more likely to be on sale! As we start to end the winter months in the Northeast, you’ll start seeing more variety in the produce aisle and hopefully more reasonable prices!
• Grab your coat and check out the freezer aisle. Frozen fruits and vegetables are a great way to eat more produce for reasonable prices. There is a lot of variety and they are less likely to spoil before you get to them. They also are frequently on sale! Remember to choose ones with no added sugar or salt.

On the go

• Beat the buffet. While there might be a nice spread at a corporate lunch or dinner, make ½ your plate non-starchy vegetables before you reach for anything else or grab a salad to start. Doing this will help incorporate filling fiber-rich foods and keep your portions in order.
  • Pack those snacks. Although airport and on-the-go foods are improving, not packing yourself a snack runs you the risk of being subjected to chips, giant muffins, toaster cakes or fast food restaurants.

No time

• Plan, plan, plan ahead. Time is tight and making on-the-fly, impulsive food decisions can make it hard to make smarter food choices. Take advantage of the time you do have on weekends or days off to plan meals for the week. By planning ahead, you can shop for the necessary ingredients so they are at your fingertips when it’s time to start cooking.
• Pre-pack. When you get home from the grocery store, pack your snacks into individual serving containers so they are ready to grab and go. Do this with nuts, dried fruit and vegetable slices.
• Cook in batches. When you have some time, make a trip to the store and prepare a few meals and stick them in the refrigerator or freezer depending on when you plan on eating them. Doing this can provide you with a healthier, homemade meal that can be on the table in a flash. You can also prepare parts of your meal such as quinoa or brown rice and freeze in single or family-size servings to cut back on weeknight prep time.

If any of these situations resonate with you, try incorporating some of these simple changes to help you eat right, your way. Celebrate your individuality healthfully. How do you eat right, your way, every day?