6 Ways to Celebrate March National Nutrition Month
It’s time to help promote our message of “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right”. To make this task easier, we have a number of promotional items including drinkware, classroom products, promotional kits and cooking gadgets featuring the 2014 graphic. There is still time to place your NNM order!
RDN stands for Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who are America’s real nutrition experts. Remember all registered dietitians are nutritionists but not all nutritionists are registered dietitians.Check out my favorite Registered Dietitian Nutritionist’ tips for easy nutrition.
Close the kitchen. Or get out of it!
While the kitchen is the heart of the home, it can quickly become the belly and thighs too! If the kitchen is always open (meaning kids, teens, adults can help themselves to food at any time), it becomes harder to regulate food intake and make good choices that reflect nutritious and balanced eating. Kids and adults do better with eating the right foods and amounts when they eat with a structured approach, like having meals and snacks at approximately the same time each day. This, in the long run, helps to ‘set a timer’ on hunger. For adults, the more you hang out in the kitchen, the easier it is to eat unplanned or extra food that isn’t necessarily needed.
Jill Castle, MS, RDN
www.justtherightbyte.com
Easy, healthy eating is all about the balance of preparation and the joy of ingredient selection. On the weekend I love to hit the farmers markets to pick in season produce (the joy). Then, I make a list and round it out with things like quinoa and salmon from the grocery. But to make it easy, I prep as much as I can every few days when I’m not stressed and time crunched. It makes making the nutritious choice a cinch, no matter how busy I am!
Carlene Thomas RDN, LD
My easy peasy tip is color. That is it – plain and simple. If my kids and I have a colorful meals and snacks planned then I know we are getting a good variety and balance of nutrients.
Appetite is never something that my family lacks so putting a priority on color ensures everyone is filling up without spilling over.
Kate Yonke RDN
I enjoy the taste of eating right by keeping a breakfast basket on my counter. It’s full of oatmeal, individual cereal boxes/bags made with whole grains, peanut butter, applesauce, raisins and whole grain granola bars. Stocking the basket on the weekends so it’s ready for the week practically ensures my kids will be choosing the right foods before school (and me before work too!). It’s one simple way that I can teach my kids to eat right by choosing whole grains, fruit and protein in the morning. Don’t forget the milk, too!
Jen Haugen RDN
“To ensure you’re eating more vegetables every day, you have to make it easy and accessible. When I go grocery shopping, I consider all of the meals I may be making that week or simply what vegetables I want to have on hand and buy double of everything. Then, as soon as I get home, I prep one whole container/bag of each vegetable that will be designated for snacks, lunches, or even dinners. For example, carrot sticks, bell peppers, cucumber spears, etc can be washed, sliced, and ready to eat at your convenience. Prepping your vegetables for snacking as soon as you get home from the store makes it more likely that you’ll actually eat them! Knowing that I already have them ready to go in the fridge leaves me with no excuses!”
Olena Gudz Danko, MS RDN
My easy peasy tip is eating on a schedule. I make sure I have something to eat every 3-4 hours; otherwise, beware of hangry Kara! Eating on a regular schedule means my hunger is in check, my blood sugar is stable, my metabolism is active, and I’m never tempted to overcompensate and overeat. My clients who skip meals love this tip because it means they actually can add food to their diet rather than cut items out. Always having simple grab-n-go snacks on hand makes this feat possible. Trail mix, fruit, yogurt and mini Brie bites go a long way!
Kara Lydon, RD, LDN
Happy Registered Dietitian Day!
I love my life! I have a passion and a purpose to share my recipe for health and happiness with RDNs and others – maybe even more so now that I’ve officially retired. If you want to learn what I discovered through coaching 1000 people over 9000 hours check out my final post, “Live Like This Is Your Last Day. Someday It Will Be!”
“THANK YOU for sharing years of your energy with us (with ME). Several years ago, I attended a seminar you taught, and I got some great ideas so I subscribed to Abundant Mondays and I’m so very happy I did. You make a difference in my life even though we have never met. I continue on my journey to adjust and adapt to the changes life brings and to remain positive and a positive influence. With your help.” -KJ