healthy meals

March is National Nutrition Month and the VA dietitians with the Fresh Focus Podcast encourage us to “Celebrate a World of Flavors.”

March is National Nutrition Month and the VA dietitians with the Fresh Focus podcast encourage us to “Celebrate a World of Flavors.”

During a nutrition assessment, your registered dietitian nutritionist will ask your Veteran a lot of questions, but also to you, the caregiver. Being a caregiver comes with a unique set of challenges and the Caregiver Support Program can help.

Families and caregivers are a Veteran’s support system and help to prevent or manage chronic illness with healthy eating. Nutritionists want to support you!

If you have ever been distracted while eating, you know how easy it can happen to any one of us. But when we're concerned when a loved one may not be eating enough, we want to focus on how to help them reduce distracted eating.

As a caregiver or someone in a Veteran’s support system, you may notice your loved one having difficulty chewing or swallowing certain food items. Although there are suggestions your VA Registered Dietitian Nutritionist will make, we often pair up with Speech Therapy for a comprehensive team approach.

Have ever been sitting at the kitchen table with your veteran loved one and notice they may be starting to have some difficulty feeding themselves?

When people think of seeing a Registered Dietitian, they think of eating healthier or aiming to lose weight to meet a specific goal. However, for some of our Veterans, gaining too much weight is not their problem it is actually quite the opposite. When you go many days without eating enough, many changes occur inside your body. Your body will start to break down muscle and fat to use for energy. This can lead to a condition called malnutrition. 

In episode 28 of the Fresh Focus Podcast, we are continuing to celebrate National Nutrition Month® and talking specifics on how to “personalize your plate” if weight loss is a goal of yours.

This year, National Nutrition Month® explores how to “personalize your plate” to fit your own goals, and in this Fresh Focus Podcast episode we emphasize personalizing your plate to support a healthy heart.

The Fresh Focus team feels that the best way to personalize your plate is by using a recipe from the Healthy Teaching Kitchen (HTK) program. The HTK is an educational resource within VHA Nutrition and Food Services (NFS) to promote nutrition and wellness.

Here are some great healthy food shopping suggestions for Veterans and their families. Emphasis on good-for-you-groceries on your local budget store. Print it out and take it along.