March is just around the corner and that means it’s time to celebrate National Nutrition Month! If you’re not quite sure how to prepare for this unique celebration, American Standard is here to help you find all things nutrition. Created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, National Nutrition Month (NNM) is an annual education campaign to stress the importance of making healthy food choices and staying moving.
Join us this March to give 2019 an additional boost with these healthier lifestyle tips. Learn more about the history of this celebration , how to build a nutrition plan, healthy recipes to try, and more.
“To increase the public’s awareness of the importance of good nutrition and position Academy members as the authorities in nutrition.” – The NNM campaign, original purpose
The History of National Nutrition Month
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of what National Nutrition Month means for you in 2019, let’s first talk about how this campaign originally came about. The event was first started as National Nutrition Week in March of 1973 and promoted through a presidential proclamation, TV, radio and news announcements, and bumper stickers with the slogan “Invest in Yourself – Buy Nutrition”. Since this initial kickoff week, the campaign was embraced by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) as a way to promote their profession and as a reason to educate people on nutrition. It only took until 1980 for public popularity to increase and the week-long campaign turned into a month-long observance.
Celebrate National Nutrition Month 2019 with These Healthier Lifestyle Tips
The core of National Nutrition Month focuses on a key message every year: “to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.” So how can you celebrate National Nutrition Month this year? Below are some of the healthier lifestyle tips that the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics stress throughout March and year-round:
- Understand the benefits of eating healthy
- When choosing foods and drinks, go for the ones that are good for your health
- Include foods from all food groups on a regular basis
- When dining out, try to stick to the healthy portion of the menu
- Learn more about appropriate portion sizes
- Keep it simple
- Food safety should be a part of your routine
- Help reduce food waste
- Try to be physically active most days throughout the week
- Reach out to nutrition experts if you have questions
In addition to keeping these straightforward healthier lifestyle tips, there are plenty of things you can do on your own to celebrate this healthy and nutritional month.
1. Keep Your Kitchen Stocked with Healthy Food
When the only thing available to snack on is healthy food, it makes celebrating National Nutrition Month a piece of cake, no pun intended. But when you open your fridge and stare blankly at your healthy food staples, like raw veggies and lean protein, eating healthy can seem overwhelming. Make things easier by preparing some of your healthy foods beforehand. Cut up all your colorful vegetables, prep your protein, and have healthy snacks on deck so you don’t stray away and indulge in those chocolate chip cookies!
2. Make the Most of Family Dinners
Having a set dinner time for the whole family helps you maintain a healthy attitude and teaches the rest of your family how to promote a healthy lifestyle. Use dinner time as an opportunity to experiment with new healthy dishes to eat, encourage your grandchildren to try new foods, and keep yourself on track with a regular meal schedule.
3. Incorporate an Exercise Routine into Your Schedule
Nutrition is the foundation of living a healthy lifestyle, but exercise is important, as well. And maintaining your fitness as you age is not only important to your health, but it’s important to your overall happiness. For the month of March, make it a point to get moving at least three days a week. Join a group fitness class, get on the bicycle, take a stroll outside, and then recover and relax your muscles with hydrotherapy. No matter what form of physical activity makes you happy, remaining healthy this month and beyond is the ultimate goal!
4. Get Involved
Whether you work with your local grocery store or your go-to gym, getting involved for National Nutrition Month is a great way to celebrate the campaign. Partner with your local grocery store and promote National Nutrition Month by passing out posters and healthier lifestyle tips. Or, maybe you want to get even more involved by putting together your own nutrition plan equipped with healthy samples to promote clean eating. No matter what your approach is, the overall goal is to promote healthy eating and an active lifestyle.
An additional resource to help you promote National Nutrition Month and live a healthy lifestyle is MyPlate. MyPlate shows you the five food groups and how you can use these building blocks to achieve a healthy diet and a healthy life
Healthy Recipes for National Nutrition Month
Now that we know a little more about the history of National Nutrition Month and how to celebrate it, it’s time to get fully involved in this March campaign. We’re here to provide some healthy and helpful recipes to help you stay on track. Keep these in mind next time you’re standing in your kitchen trying to decide what to make for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Breakfast
Healthy Breakfast Sandwich
- 1 English muffin (whole wheat)
- 1 large egg (protein-filled and nutritious)
- 1 slice of cheddar cheese (adds even more protein)
- 2 slices of Canadian bacon or turkey bacon (adding more lean protein)
First start with the eggs and cook them to your liking, whether that’s poached, over easy, over hard, or scrambled. Next move on to toasting the English muffin and browning the Canadian or turkey bacon. Once everything has been warmed up, it’s time to layer your breakfast sandwich and enjoy.
Check out foodiecrush for the full recipe, as well as many others!
Lunch
Greek Kale Salad w/ Quinoa and Chicken
- 4 cups of chopped kale
- 1 ½ cups of chicken (shredded, grilled, or baked)
- 1 cup of cooked quinoa
- ¼ cup of roasted red peppers (for flavor)
- ¼ cup of Greek salad dressing (to keep those calories low)
- crumbled feta cheese
To start off, begin to cook your quinoa on the stovetop, in a similar way that you would cook rice. As this part is cooking, it’s time to get the chicken and red peppers on the stovetop as well. As the warm ingredients are heating up, prepare your salad bowl with chopped kale and feta cheese. Once the stove top ingredients are ready, it’s time to add everything together and top with the Greek salad dressing.
Find this salad and more healthy, low calorie lunch recipes at EatingWell, a blog full of healthier lifestyle tips.
Dinner
Cilantro Lime Salmon Bowls
- 3 red peppers (sliced to your liking)
- ⅔ cup of olive oil mixed with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt & black pepper
- ⅓ cup of lime juice
- 2 tablespoons of cilantro (finely chopped for even flavor)
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 garlic clove (minced is preferred)
- 4 salmon filets
- 4 cups of cooked rice (brown rice for the ultimate healthy dish)
- 1 avocado (sliced to your liking)
- lime wedges
Start by adding the seasoned bell peppers into the preheated oven at the same time you’re cooking the rice on the stove top. While these ingredients are cooking, it’s time to make the cilantro lime marinade. Combine the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, honey, and garlic into a mixing bowl. After this has been whisked, cover the salmon with the marinade and place the fish filets in the oven, on top of the peppers. Once everything has cooked, it’s time to assemble the bowl.
Check out delish for more healthy and tasty lunch recipes to look forward to!
Look forward to National Nutrition Month 2019 with these healthier lifestyle tips. March gives us the opportunity to promote nutrition and exercise while pushing ourselves to stay healthy. These tips, tricks, and recipes should help you get started.
