National Nutrition Month – 2019

National Nutrition Month – March 2019

Why do I love nutrition and health?

Nutrition is very intricate and individualized. You can care for each person differently because they have different needs (still following the Standards of Practice (SOP) of course).

I love the “Food service” life (most people don’t)! I can blend and craft my culinary skills and passion to cook and recipe test. Here you can truly be creative with food and experiment. Sure they’ll be those days in the dish pit or cooking “on the line” depending on where you work. This is the nitty gritty work; the food service life is not always glamorous but here you can truly know where your food comes from. Sometimes even from farm to table, literally by working or volunteering on a farm. Then bring that beautiful, very fresh food into a kitchen to be prepared and cooked. It’s a very satisfying feeling.(1)

Why Do I Cook? I cook because cooking is very personal and individualized; where you can share your journey and discover others. There’s the act of creating something extraordinary out of nothing with a few simple ingredients. You can see the smile on your guests after the meal begins.

There’s always something to learn.

1. Start with small changes, adding healthy foods is much more fun that “deleting” foods from your diet. Be active and find a “health” partner to help encourage each other!(2)
2. Plan out weekly meals and weekend meals (they are probably going to be very different – ha!) to choose healthier foods, stick to a plan, and you can eat on a budget if needed.(3)
3. Prepare healthy meals by organizing your kitchen and de-cluttering, chop toppings such as vegetables in advance, and double your recipes especially if taking your lunch to work or for a big family. Many prepped meals can be frozen thus they last longer.(3)
4. Do you drink coffee in the mornings or go out? Have healthier coffee or beverage choices so you don’t feel like you have to cut everything out of your diet. Having no coffee or morning beverage would be SAD! Don’t do that! Instead try downsizing your drink, low fat dairy options, adding half the syrup/sugar and skipping the whipped cream.(4)
5. Ordering takeout or going out to eat is fun right? Of course! When going out, you can add more veggies, steamed foods vs fried, order substitutes if needed, and watch out for salty sauces.(5)

Reference:

1. Celebrate National Nutrition Month (2019 Feb 21). Retrieved from https://www.choosemyplate.gov/national-nutrition-month
2. MyPlate, MyWins Tips: Reach Your Nutrition Goals (2017 Feb 23). Retrieved from https://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate-mywins-tips-reach-your-nutrition-goals
3. Healthy Eating on a Budget (2017 Apr 18). Retrieved from https://www.choosemyplate.gov/budget
4. MyPlate, MyWins Tips: Redo Your Coffee Shop Stop (2017 Feb 23). https://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate-mywins-tips-redo-your-coffee-shop-stop
5. MyPlate, MyWins Tips: Make Your Takeout Healthier (2017 Mar 16). Retrieved from https://www.choosemyplate.gov/myplate-mywins-tips-make-your-takeout-healthier