National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month!  How does your plate measure up?

Written By:  Lysandra Vander Hart, Registered Dietitian

The 2012 National Nutrition Month Campaign involves encouraging everyone to get their plate in shape!  Before you eat a meal, think about what goes on your plate.  Foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables as well as lean proteins provide the nutrients you need without too many calories.  It is important to include all of these nutrients over the course of a day.  To do this, we divide up our plate accordingly for each meal.  It may be a challenge to get in those veggies at breakfast so we will call those a bonus!  But, make sure that your overall fruit and vegetable count for the day includes double the vegetables as there are fruits.

·         ½ Fruits and Vegetables

·         ¼ Meat and Beans

·         ¼ Whole Grains

·         1 cup Milk or Yogurt on the Side.

Try these tips to help “Get Your Plate in Shape.”

·         Make half your plate fruits & vegetables. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables, especially dark colors like green, blue, red and orange.  Fresh frozen and canned varieties all count. Just choose low sodium and low sugar varieties when picking out canned and frozen varieties.

·         Make at least half of your grains whole. Choose 100% whole-grain breads, cereals, crackers, pasta and wild rice. Be sure to check the ingredients lists of food packages to find whole grains.

·         Switch to low fat dairy products.  Milk and yogurt are great choices for boosting calcium when chosen as 2% Milk Fat or less.  If you are lactose intolerant, try lactose-free milk or calcium fortified soy milk.

·         Vary your protein choices. Eat a variety of foods from the protein food group each week.  Include seafood, nuts and beans as well as lean meat, poultry and eggs.

·         Cut back on sodium and empty calories from fats and sugars. These items do not actually have a place on the plate.  Drink water instead of sugary drinks and select fruit for dessert. Look out for salt in foods when you are shopping.  Make major sources of saturated fats such as pizza, cheese, sausage and hot dogs occasional choices – not every day foods.

·         Enjoy your food but eat less.  Use a smaller plate at home to keep your portion sizes down.  When eating out, choose lunch portions or take half of your meal home to enjoy the next day.