National Nutrition Month: What it means to me

Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day.

This is me as a toddler, enjoying good food. No rules. I was, and still am, a food-loving rebel!  And look, I even gave this delicious food a "thumbs-up"....I think it was homemade spaghetti.

Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day. That's the theme for this year's National Nutrition Month, which starts today, March 1st, 3013.

 

Learn more here!

This month, and beyond, remember that dietitians like me, as well as other healthcare professionals are here to guide you, give you tips, and provide positive encouragement to help you feel your best, not to tell you what to eat, when to eat it, where to eat, or how much you should or should not eat.  Why?  Because no one really knows the perfect way to eat.  No one.  Not even that Dr. on TV.  Everyone has the right to feel good and look great, and everyone has the right to Eat Right, Their Way, Every Day!

I like to eat right, my way, every day too.  No matter what that magazine article says, I'm still going to eat past 6pm on most nights, and have two pieces of cake instead of one small tiny piece on certain special occasions.

Like on this night, last month, when I ate 3 pieces. Hey, I turned 30. So what?

And if I want to make a dirty martini (with blue cheese stuffed olives) from this extra large vodka bottle (wowza! I found this in my parent's cabinets) and enjoy every salty sip, I will.

I mean, you hear it every day from people like me, "Everything fits into a healthy diet".  Right?  Some people think this statement that is way too general.  But it's true!  I can have my martini, or cake, or chocolate (times three), because the majority of my diet is made up of this...... 

INSTAGRAM!

Fruits, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and vegetables (not in the photo above, obviously, but you know I eat tons and tons of veggies).

INSTAGRAM!

The Journal of The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recently published a position paper, seen above.  The title of the paper was "Total Approach to Healthy Eating".  This was a nice segue to this year's National Nutrition Month, because it highlighted the importance of focusing on variety, moderation, and proportionality in the context of a healthy lifestyle, instead of focusing on single nutrients or targeting specific nutrients. Generally a total diet approach is meant to reduce consumer confusion and consumer reliance on supplements.

• Variety:  Refers to an eating pattern that includes foods from all MyPlate food groups and subgroups (grains, proteins, dairy (or alternatives), fruits, vegetables, oils, and SoFAS too! ie: Solid Fats and Added Sugars)

• Proportionality:  Eating more nutrient-dense foods and beverages (ie: foods that have fewer calories and more nutrients, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains) and less of others (such as those SoFAS from above)

• Moderation:  Limiting overall portion size (get a smaller plate, it helps) and choosing foods to limit intake of saturated fats and added sugars (ie: look for reduced fat versions of cheeses and leaner version of meats, and try to aim for lower sugar snacks, such as those that contains less than 10 grams of sugar).

Visit ChooeMyPlate.gov to see your personal guidelines.

OK, so what does "Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day" mean to me, as a dietitian?!

• Only you should decide what to eat, no one else should decide for you.

• There is no right or wrong way to eat, as everyone has a different lifestyle and schedule to follow.  The only right way is your own personal way!  Want to eat three meals and no snacks? Fine! Want to eat four meals and two snacks?  Ok!  Want to eat something before you workout? Sure, why not?! Want to workout on an empty stomach? If you prefer that, do it! The key is to find what works best for you.  We are all unique and there isn't one perfect way for everyone.

• When it comes to specific nutrient distributions, some people feel better inside, and out, on a higher carbohydrate, lower fat diet, while others feel better on a higher protein and lower carb and intermediate fat diet (me!). Not everyone fits into the perfect mold determined by the latest research.  And remember, research is dynamic, just as nutrition is dynamic.

• We need to remind ourselves not to let the media overly manipulate us and dictate what we do or do not eat.  If we let this happen, food becomes a stressor.  This is not at all what it should be.  When you feel lost or don't know what to do with your diet, get help from an RD who can guide you on the right path to follow for your own personal nutrient needs, depending on your background, lifestyle, cultural preferences, and overall goals.

My lifestyle is one that leaves me constantly on the go.  I rarely sit down to a full meal, but instead I snack throughout the day.  This is not the right way to eat for everyone, but it's the right way for me.
 

I plan to celebrate the month by continuing to educate and help people see food in a positive light, and not as a stressful part of their day.   I plan to do some unique demos at work that incorporate fruits, veggies, whole grains and yogurts so people can see that healthy foods can also be tasty foods.  I specifically want to focus on kids this month, and get the younger generation to learn just how tasty it can be to eat healthy!  And of course, I'm also going to indulge a bit, because every healthy diet should include a nice indulgence.  Cheers!


QUESTION:  What does this year's theme mean to you?  How will you celebrate this year's National Nutrition Month?

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments!  But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

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?

Eat Right With Color! And, "Complete Bar" Winners

Can you believe it's MARCH?! Am I the only one who feels like the years go by faster every year? I swear by the time I'm seventy a year will last one day. Anyway, happy March, and happy NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH! This month's theme is "Eat Right With Color", which to me means it's time to start focusing the importance of coloring your plate with all the varieties of fresh fruits and veggies that our Mother Earth has to offer! Take advantage of all the different colors of produce, such as red (cranberries, red peppers, strawberries), green (spinach, kale, asparagus), purple (eggplants, blueberries), orange (sweet potatoes, pumpkins, carrots) and so many others. They all contain different nutrients, each providing very special and unique powers, which work together to help protect the body (and plant!) from various diseases.



Here are some of my favorite colorful and nutrient-packed recipes from this past year;

Drool Worthy Avocado Chicken

Spinach Pesto

Sweet Potato Gnocchi

Tempeh Sloppy Joes

Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup

My Favorite Kale Side Dish

Summer Salsa

This year, as the Public Relations Chair of The Columbus Dietetic Association, I had a mission to create a helpful pamphlet that could be used to find in-season produce and uses for those produce. Here is the final product!


Inside there a list of the in-season produce for summer, winter, fall and spring, plus a list of ideas for how to use some of the more uncommon produce.


And of course each season has two simple and delicious recipes.


We are selling these pamphlets to friends and family. All profits will go towards dietetic scholarships and future CDA events. I thought about selling these on my blog, but then decided not to. I may do another giveaway soon and have this and one of my Complete Bars be the prize. It really depends on how well we do at selling these things. I hope people buy them! I worked really, really hard on creating them (and I am not known for my creativity...).

And now it's time for me to announce the giveaway winners....

CONGRATS to Lauren of Foodtrainers, and Erin of The Healthy Apron!!!

Please e-mail me your address (GCsmiler19@yahoo.com) and I will send your prize asap.

Question: What's your favorite green, red and orange fruit and/or vegetable?!

Here are mine;

Green: broccoli

Red: Strawberry

Orange: Sweet potato (pumpkin is a very close second!)

Nothing beats sweet potato + almond butter (except for maybe.. sweet potato + walnut butter!)

The Elimination Diet, Again?!

I can't tell whether it's PMS, or the fact that I have added foods back into my diet after eliminating them for a week, but I feel like CRAP lately!

Source: iStockPhoto

Ok, I don't feel as bad as the lady in the picture above. My main problems are bloating (with no gas...) and lethargy. What's the deal?! I'm definitely blaming it on PMS, but I am starting to think perhaps I should have done the elimination diet a little longer. I've officially decided to put myself back on it... sort of. Here is what I will do:



- No more peanuts and/or peanut butter. I'm ok without it, believe it or not. I've been eating more almonds, almond butter, and almond milk. I never thought I'd say this, but I think I like almond milk more than soy milk, and almond butter more than peanut butter!!

Source: iStockPhoto

- No more Truvia (or at least, less for now). I'm officially a Stevia convert (thanks to Joanna who assured me that I would eventually start loving it!).


- Less dairy! Starting today I will only have ONE serving of dairy. This will most often be my plain Greek yogurt, which I love to eat with a handful of granola and some Stevia on top. Instead of ice cream I will continue eating my frozen blueberry and almond milk creation at night.


- Less beef and more organic chicken and fish. I can't go back to non-organic chicken. I am willing to pay the extra 2-3 dollars.


- No more popcorn. I think this is key. Since adding popcorn back into my diet (just two days ago, believe it or not) I have been waking up with stomach cramps. Again, this could just be a coincidence since my period is right around the corner, but I'm not so sure. Starting today I will go back to my plain rice cakes and nutritional yeast as a snack while watching shows late at night.



- No more chocolate. HA! Yeah right. Chocolate is back and here to stay :)

Source: iStockPhoto

I hope everyone is having a great weekend. Today I am putting together my Christmas list. I have already decided some things to buy for my family and Nick's, but I'm still not sure what to buy Nick! I've also decided on a fun recipe to make for family and friends, and to give out as a gift. Can't wait to share this with you!

Today I'm also working on a project for National Nutrition Month. I am the public relations chair for the Columbus Dietetic Association so my job is to come up with a NNM project each year. This year's theme is "Color Your Plate". More details to come.

QUESTION: Have you started planning for the holidays??