March is National Nutrition Month, and this year's theme is "Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right."
In honor of that and the fact that it is Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day today, I thought I would build off of Rebecca's post about a varied and balanced diet and go a little into this month's theme.
When we were studying to become dietitians, Rebecca and I learned all about menu planning and how to accommodate for different diets and health concerns. However, it may surprise you that we were advised by our professors to not simply write a menu for someone. Why is that? Well, among many other reasons, we don't know what you like to eat! It's easy for someone to write down a bunch of healthy food options, but if it's not things you like to eat, are you really going to eat it? Probably not.
That's what the theme of National Nutrition Month is all about this year! Enjoying the taste of eating right means that you are eating foods you actually like and are finding that balance between what is good for you and what is good to you, keeping nutrition in mind.
For example:
I like yogurt, but I've come to find after several trial attempts that I am NOT a fan of Greek yogurt. This was really annoying to me because Greek yogurt is a popular thing right now, and I liked the idea of more protein to help keep me fuller longer if I had it as a snack at work. I've tried different brands and different flavors, but the texture and strong taste really bother me. So guess what? I don't buy it because I don't like it. Regular yogurt is still as healthy as it has always been, and as long as I am getting the recommended servings of dairy per day, it doesn't matter whether it is Greek yogurt or regular yogurt. Now on the flip side, ice cream is a source of dairy too, and I much prefer that taste to yogurt, but because of added sugars and fat, it would be wise to not make that more than just an occasional source of dairy for the day. By enjoying the taste of eating right, I am eating foods I like (regular yogurt versus Greek yogurt) but I'm not getting carried away (eating only ice cream for dairy because it is my favorite source of dairy).
In honor of that and the fact that it is Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day today, I thought I would build off of Rebecca's post about a varied and balanced diet and go a little into this month's theme.
When we were studying to become dietitians, Rebecca and I learned all about menu planning and how to accommodate for different diets and health concerns. However, it may surprise you that we were advised by our professors to not simply write a menu for someone. Why is that? Well, among many other reasons, we don't know what you like to eat! It's easy for someone to write down a bunch of healthy food options, but if it's not things you like to eat, are you really going to eat it? Probably not.
That's what the theme of National Nutrition Month is all about this year! Enjoying the taste of eating right means that you are eating foods you actually like and are finding that balance between what is good for you and what is good to you, keeping nutrition in mind.
For example:
I like yogurt, but I've come to find after several trial attempts that I am NOT a fan of Greek yogurt. This was really annoying to me because Greek yogurt is a popular thing right now, and I liked the idea of more protein to help keep me fuller longer if I had it as a snack at work. I've tried different brands and different flavors, but the texture and strong taste really bother me. So guess what? I don't buy it because I don't like it. Regular yogurt is still as healthy as it has always been, and as long as I am getting the recommended servings of dairy per day, it doesn't matter whether it is Greek yogurt or regular yogurt. Now on the flip side, ice cream is a source of dairy too, and I much prefer that taste to yogurt, but because of added sugars and fat, it would be wise to not make that more than just an occasional source of dairy for the day. By enjoying the taste of eating right, I am eating foods I like (regular yogurt versus Greek yogurt) but I'm not getting carried away (eating only ice cream for dairy because it is my favorite source of dairy).
There are so many colors, textures, flavors, and varieties of foods that it would be a shame to gag down the foods we don't like just because they are healthy and not get to explore the other healthy foods we like more. According to eatright.org's spotlight on National Nutrition Month, research has shown that when we like a food, we are more likely to buy it because we like it rather than based on its nutritional content. Let's build our plates with healthy foods that we enjoy eating!
A varied and balanced diet is key, like Rebecca said. Just make sure you like it too.
Happy National Nutrition Month, and Happy Registered Dietitian Nutritionist day to all you RDN's out there!
~Melanie
A varied and balanced diet is key, like Rebecca said. Just make sure you like it too.
Happy National Nutrition Month, and Happy Registered Dietitian Nutritionist day to all you RDN's out there!
~Melanie