March is National Nutrition Month, an annual campaign sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to educate people on the importance of making informed food choices and developing good eating and physical activity habits.
This year’s theme for National Nutrition Month’s theme, Food Connects Us, inspires us to consider the many ways that food creates bonds, culture, and health throughout the world.
“Food is a connecting factor for many of us. Food connects us to our cultures, our families, and our friends,” says a tip sheet by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “Sharing a meal is an opportunity to learn about its preparation, who made it, and where the ingredients were sourced. What’s more, health, memories, traditions, seasons and access can all impact our relationship with food.”
Throughout the month of March, Project Open Hand will be highlighting our services and programming that show how food Connects us, as well as sharing educational resources to consider your own daily food choices.
Here are a few key ways to explore this year’s theme:
1. Connect with Food.
There are a variety of ways to connect with food. These include preparing your own meals and snacks and learning about how the ingredients you eat were grown or raised. In addition, the accessibility of food is another consideration. Many people have a specific amount of money they’re able to spend on food, which makes planning critical when trying to eat healthfully. Here are some ways to connect with your food:
- When purchasing food from a store, use a grocery list and pay attention to sales.
- Learn about resources in your community that offer access to healthy foods, such as SNAP and food banks.
- Visit a farmers’ market to ask about how your food was grown or raised, or consider starting a home or community garden to get hands-on experience with the growing process
2. Explore the Connection Between Food and Culture.
Another way to connect with food includes learning about the traditions or history behind what you’re eating. Whether a food is traditional or new to you, learning more about how and why it’s prepared can be a valuable experience. It may help build a connection to the person that prepared it, teach about sustainability, or provide information about how it affects your health.
3. Build the Connection Across All Stages of Life.
While the amount of nutrients we need changes from the time we’re infants until we’re older adults, essential nutrients play a role across our lifecycle. For example:
- Consuming adequate calcium from a young age helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis, or weak bones, as we age.
- The B vitamin, folate (also known as folic acid), is important for metabolism and is of increased concern for anyone who may become pregnant as it can decrease certain health risks in newborns.
- While protein is often the focus of athletes, older adults should pay extra attention to this nutrient as loss of muscle mass becomes a concern as we age.
For most people, choosing food instead of supplements is the best way to meet nutrient needs. Include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein foods, and low-fat or fat-free dairy or fortified soy milk as the basis of your daily eating routine to get the nutrients you need.