How Will You Celebrate Nutrition This Month?!

It's National Nutrition Month, and this year's theme is (as seen above) GET YOUR PLATE IN SHAPE! And let's not forget another very special day coming up; March 14th, which is Registered Dietitian Day (I'll except gifts in the form of healthy snacks, dark chocolates, and money if need-be. hehe).

Here are a few ways to “Get Your Plate in Shape” from the food and nutrition experts at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Association):

· Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables: Eat a variety of vegetables, especially dark-green, red and orange varieties. Add fresh, dried, frozen or canned fruits to meals and snacks.

(This is my modified version of this recipe for sauteed broccoli rave with crushed red pepper)

· Make at least half your grains whole: Choose 100 percent whole-grain breads, cereals, crackers, pasta and brown rice. Check the ingredients list on food packages to find whole-grain foods.

(Butternut Squash Pizza, Made with Brown Rice Flour)

· Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk: Fat-free and low-fat milk have the same amount of calcium and other essential nutrients as whole milk, but less fat and calories. For those who are lactose intolerant, try lactose-free milk or a calcium-fortified soy beverage.

· Vary your protein choices: Eat a variety of foods from the protein food group each week, such as seafood, nuts and beans, as well as lean meat, poultry and eggs. Keep meat and poultry portions small and lean. And be sure to choose seafood as the protein at least twice a week.

(Slightly Southwestern Salmon Soft Tacos)

· Cut back on sodium and empty calories from solid fats and added sugars: Season your foods with herbs and spices instead of salt. Switch from solid fats to healthy oils like olive and canola oil. Replace sugary drinks with water and choose fruit for dessert (and maybe some dark chocolate!)

· Enjoy your foods but eat less: Avoid over-sized portions. Use a smaller plate, bowl and glass. Cook more often at home where you are in control of what’s in your food. When eating out, choose lower calorie menu options.

The point of NNM is not to focus on nutrition for the sole purpose of "celebrating National Nutrition Month", but instead you can think of it as the perfect time to re-evaluate your new year's goals (or....resolutions if you made them). While the theme is "Get Your Plate In Shape", you may have other nutrition-related goals that are more personal to you, for example, one of my nutrition-related goals for this year was to eat less at night (I used to eat around 500 calories after dinner, no joke, crazy right?) I've re-evaluated my goal and discovered that now I'm down to about 200-300 calories, which is perfect and allows me to still enjoy some evening snacks while watching all of my favorite Food Network and Bravo TV shows!


My snack still consists of unsweetened cocoa powder mixed with Greek yogurt, plus another piece of chocolate on the side. I find that eating chocolate late at night works best for me because I don't have the opportunity to then crave it the rest of the day. I mean....I'm going to bed soon at that point!


Ok, back to the topic at hand. While you are thinking about your personal nutrition goals for the year, let me quickly remind you of just a small handful of research that has been done just this year on how proper nutrition can really be the best medicine;

Oranges, grapefruits lower women's stroke risk

Omega-3s may guard again brain decline

Kid's language issues tied to mom's low vitamin D

The best foods for thought, literally

If your nutrition goals had anything to do with weight loss, weight management, or simply recording your food, I would like you to check out two great programs. First, SuperTracker. This is a great tool that is part of the ChooseMyPlate website, which allows you to create a personal plan and track how you're doing. You can also request tips and motivational e-mails to be sent to you each day!

I took a poll on Twitter (@CandidRD, follow me!) and found that MyFitnessPal was a favorite among "tweeters" (and this is the favorite among my clients as well). It's a free service that allows you to create nutrition goals and track your progress throughout each day/week/month. You can use it on your smart phone or computer (or both).

Or, you can be really cool like me and track your food and/or your goals on paper. I have a list of my weekly goals (not just nutrition-related) clipped onto my weekly planner. I look at them everyday.


Question: How will you celebrate nutrition this month? How will you get your plate in "better shape"? Have you re-evaluated your nutrition-related goals this year (or your fitness or other goals)? How have you been doing?

Happy Fourth?

I know it's June 30th, but really quick.....where did 2011 go!? Just think, in 2.5 seconds it will be the 4th of July. That's how fast time goes by lately. I feel like I was just making new year's resolutions.

Speaking of resolutions, who is still going strong? I am, for the most part, but I'm still working on a few things:


1) Not eating as much at night. I'm eating less, but I'm still eating more than I should (calories, that is). With my increased intake of beer during the summer (often one-half or one 12-ounce beer) it's more difficult to control the mindless nighttime snacking. But in reality, nothing I put in my mouth is mindless, which is what helps keep me successful in eating healthy and staying slender.


2) Decreasing my caffeine intake. I'm down to only 300 mg caffeine per day (the max you should consume is about 400mg) . My goal is to get down to 200 mg, but I never want to stop drinking coffee (read this article about coffee and Alzheimers), I'll just add more decaf and less regular.


3) Stop nagging as much. I'm really working hard on this one. Nick and I have been under some stress lately (as I'm sure most people have), some good, some not so good, and I tend to get more snappy during these times. I'm really trying to just stop, breathe and react with love.




What are you doing to celebrate July 4th?

Grilling?


In our part of town, the Fourth of July starts today, actually. I don't work today, but will be working Friday and Saturday. Then on Saturday night Nick and I are having our party. On Monday, the actual fourth, Nick and I will relax (clean!) and watch the fireworks at night.

I have been telling my clients that they don't need to deprive themselves at summer cookouts, but I do believe there is an appropriate way to fill your plate;

Source: ChooseMyPlate.gov

I found this (below) in my photos from last year. Yikes. I surely didn't practice what I preach (there is a burger under that cheese and tomato)! But hey, I did include a nice slice of tomato on there. One-quarter of a cup, it counts for something, right?! I think that was my first plate, actually. I took a day off from eating plenty of fruits and veggies, and I'll probably do it again on Saturday. I do know I'll have some veggies and dip, fruit and baked beans (with Beano), so those have to count for something!

Random Tips for the Fourth

- Don't forget to be food safe! Here are ten great summer grilling food safety tools to get you ready for grilling season.


- If you are looking for some great 4th of July recipes, check out AllRecipes.com's 4th of July recipes


- Looking for some pointers on making your holiday plate a bit healthier? Check out this article with helpful tips form dietitian Ellie Krieger.


- My tip is to make friends with the fruit tray, and eat your beans. Yum.



QUESTION: What will you do this holiday? What's your favorite cookout food? I love baked beans and bratwursts.