National Nutrition Month – Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right

Have you thought that you’d like to eat better but don’t know where to start? What is one change that you could make to start you on the road to healthier eating? If you’re not sure, meeting with a dietitian can help clarify your confusion.

Registered Dietitian Day, first celebrated in 2008, is today – March 12 – a prime day to talk with a registered dietitian.

Registered dietitians  are experts in the field of nutrition and can translate the science of nutrition into practical solutions for healthy living.  Think about some of your health concerns or family history. Think about times when you have been successful in eating healthy. How did you achieve those successes? Could you try them again?

Speak to the health care providers in your patient aligned care team about setting up a nutrition counseling session with a dietitian. You can also ask about the MOVE! weight management program, TeleMOVE home system and Healthy Teaching Kitchens.

Most of us eat what we do because it tastes good and it’s what we are used to. Sometimes we venture out and try new foods, including healthier versions of our favorites, just to be disappointed and vow to never try anything new again. Think of your favorite tastes – sweet, sour, spicy –  and how you can add these to healthy foods you enjoy. Here are some tips for adding spices to flavor foods

This month try foods that you have never tried before or ones that you have not had in a while to increase your flavor palate. Find information for healthier eating here such as how to reduce fat but not flavor, reduce sugar and discover fast food alternatives.

Change is not easy. Sometimes, thinking about the health benefits that can be gained from eating right can make change easier. Benefits from a healthy diet include increased energy, improved management of medical conditions, improved sleep and better weight control.

This year’s National Nutrition Month campaign is “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right.” Dietitians can help you combine taste and nutrition to create healthy meals that follow the Dietary Guidelines Recommendations. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has a vast array of information available for eating right at  http://www.eatright.org/Public/. Ask your local VA nutrition clinic if they are planning any National Nutrition Month activities.

Need a place to start? Try out the salsa recipe above – it certainly makes it easy to “Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right.”

Dawn Hart is a Registered Dietetic Technician at the VA Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina.