Personalize Your Plate for National Nutrition Month

The weather is warming up and the snow is slowly melting away, which can only mean one thing, it’s officially March (although we have had snow storms in March in years past, but I’m not going to think about that)!

There are some many big reasons to celebrate this month, but most important, it’s National Nutrition Month^®. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics began this annual campaign to celebrate nutrition and keep everyone informed on how to make healthful food choices and physical activity decisions.

Every year the Academy assigns a theme to the month, and this year’s theme Is Personalize Your Plate. So, what does this mean? The idea behind this year’s theme is that nutrition is unique to every individual and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to health. Incorporating healthier eating revolves around your personal likes, and dislikes and is an incorporation of your background, culture, and tastes.

How to “Personalize Your Plate”

What’s great about this year’s theme is it is broken down into weekly tools to help you personalize your plate all month long!

Variety: Enjoying foods from each food group is a way to not only personalize your plate but keep it balanced. Different foods provide different nutritional benefits. Get creative with new foods by trying new flavors, textures, and colors on your plate.

Plan Ahead: Planning meals ahead is a great way to save time. When you prepare meals for the week or even a few days ahead, you lose the confusion of what to make for dinner and can spend more time doing other things. If you are dining out, check out the menu before you get to the restaurant.

Learn New Skills: Nutrition starts in the kitchen. Being able to prepare healthful and nutritious meals is important, and you can do so by learning a new recipe or even taking an online cooking class.

Visit a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN): An RDN, like myself, is someone who is educated and qualified and can help you reach your nutritional goals and provide the support and tools you need to start your healthier eating journey!

Tips to Personalizing Your Plate

The biggest challenge to any new idea is getting started. Try out some of these healthful tips below to personalize your plate and celebrate National Nutrition Month all month long.

Try incorporating a new food each week and read up about all the nutritious benefits it provides.

Add veggies and fruit to the foods you already enjoy, such as sliced fruit with breakfast waffles or blended in yogurt. And try adding a variety of chopped veggies into your salad or soup.

Make grocery lists! Post your list to your fridge or put the list in your phone, this will help with planning ahead and make life a little easier.

Look up new recipes online! These days almost everything is virtual, finding a new recipe on YouTube is a great way to learn a new skill and follow along step-by-step.

This month is all about YOU! Whichever way you decide to celebrate this national holiday, make this year’s theme fun and enjoyable and spread the word to family and friends.

Your Turn to Take Action: How will you be celebrating National Nutrition Month? Let me know in the comments below!