There are so many messages about what it means to eat healthily and it can be quite confusing to read all the information out there.
National Nutrition Month is a time to remind ourselves to keep it simple and make healthy eating practical in our everyday lives.
This year’s theme for National Nutrition Month, “Get Your Plate in Shape” is a call to action, to consider the portioning, variety, color, and wholesomeness of the food on your plate, within a given meal or snack. If meals and snacks are balanced, then nutrition in your day will be balanced too.
MyPlate, the USDA’s new icon, provides guidance on what healthy eating looks like. Half of the plate is filled with a rainbow of fruits and veggies, while a quarter consists of whole grains, another quarter with healthy proteins, and dairy is on the side.
In honor of National Nutrition Month, we will be sending out weekly recipes or tips to help support the endeavor to “Get Your Plate in Shape.”
Also, the month will include a “Get Your Plate in Shape” Food Bank Twitter challenge. Stay Tuned!
Finally, I would like to offer a message of encouragement about healthy eating that comes through in the educational programs and trainings offered to food bank partners and the communities we serve: Keep it Simple and Make it Fun.
Like pizza? Take a whole wheat tortilla and top with chopped tomatoes and corn (fresh, canned, or frozen depending on the season), and cheese, and bake in the oven.
Need some protein? Add black beans to your favorite salsa and enjoy as a dip or burrito filling.
Want fruit to be fun? Stack grapes and bananas on a stick and dip in yogurt.
Looking forward to celebrating healthy eating this month!