National Nutrition Month: March 2012

March 2012 is the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (formerly the American Dietetic Assn.) National Nutrition Month. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans stress fruits, vegetables and proper portion sizes.The Academy hopes to help consumers implement these suggestions with the 2012 theme, “Get Your Plate in Shape”. The Academy encourages everyone to include healthy foods from all food groups on their plates. A good place to start is the National Nutrition Month website.

National Nutrition Month evolved from National Nutrition Week, which originated in 1973. This changed to National Nutrition Month in 1980, as Americans became more interested in nutrition.

In June 2011, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) adopted MyPlate to replace MyPyramid as a simple visual cue to help consumers develop healthy eating habits consistent with the 2010 Dietary Guidelines. MyPlate divides the plate into four sections for fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins, with a glass on the side to represent dairy products.

A key to a better diet is recognizing the extra calories that you can consume in the form of solid fats and added sugar. These are found in many common foods and drinks. Make these foods occasional treats instead of daily indulgences.

Some foods, such as frozen meals and canned soups and vegetables, can have high levels of sodium. The 2010 Dietary Guidelines recommend consuming no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium daily. This is about a teaspoon of salt. It's not hard to limit sodium once you're used to choosing foods with lower sodium content.

Use the USDA's MyPlate as a guide for balanced eating. Build on it with these suggestions.

Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.

Eat a variety of vegetables, emphasizing dark-green, red and orange varieties, and also peas and beans.

When buying canned vegetables, look for those with no salt added or reduced sodium. You can rinse whole beans, corn and peas to reduce sodium content.

If you can't get fresh fruits, buy dried or frozen fruits, or canned varieties packed in water or their own juice.

Include at least one fruit or vegetable, or both, in every meal and snack.

Make at least half your grains whole.

Select brown rice, barley, oats and other whole grains for sides and ingredients.

Serve 100-percent whole-grain breads, cereals and crackers.

Read ingredient lists on food packages; look for foods made with whole grains.

Switch to fat-free or low-fat milk.

Fat-free and low-fat milk have all the calcium and other essential nutrients, but less fat and fewer calories than whole milk.

Try lactose-free milk or a calcium-fortified soy beverage if you're lactose intolerant.

Vary your protein choices.

Eat a variety of proteins, such as seafood, nuts, beans, lean meat, poultry and eggs.

Increase your intake of plant-based proteins. These include nuts, beans, whole grains, tofu and edamame.

Eat seafood at least twice a week.

Eat lean meat and poultry and limit portions to three ounces.

Reduce sodium, solid fats and added sugars.

Drink water instead of sodas, fruit-flavored drinks and sweetened teas and coffees. Add lemons, limes or cucumbers to water for variety, or drink carbonated water. If you drink juice, make sure it's 100-percent fruit juice.

Look at sodium content on nutrition panels and choose foods with the least amount.

Use spices and herbs instead of salt to season foods. Don't add salt when cooking pasta, rice and vegetables.

Replace butter and shortening in cooking with heart-healthy oils such as olive, canola and sunflower oil.

Replace regular ground beef with extra-lean ground beef, or ground turkey or chicken.

Grill, broil, bake or steam foods instead of frying.

Switch to fat-free of low-fat yogurt and cheese.

Eat fresh fruit salad for dessert.

Other Considerations

Cook at home more often to control what's in your food. Be sure to exercise. Aim for 30 minutes a day, all at once if possible, or split it into several shorter sessions if necessary.

You can eat the foods you enjoy, but keep an eye on portion sizes and calorie counts by putting less food on your plate.

Be mindful of your daily calorie needs.

Find your daily calorie needs from MyPlate Dietary Guidelines Plan your meals and snacks with this in mind. Divide your plate into quadrants, with one each for fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein. Add a side of a dairy food such as a cup of low-fat milk or an ounce of cheese.

Use smaller plates, bowls and glasses to control portions.

Change to a smaller plate. The Small Plate Movement recommends switching from 12-inch to 10-inch plates, and you can even move down to 8-inch appetizer plates. This can significantly reduce your caloric intake, and since you've still eaten a plate of food, you needn't feel deprived. Fill your plate with low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean proteins.

Get into the kitchen and stay in charge of what you're eating.

Cooking at home enables you to balance your meal and choose healthier fats, less sodium and more fiber while controlling calories. This will help you recognize a healthy plate when you eat out.

Watch out for liquid calories.

You can take in significant numbers of calories through fruit juices, drinks with added sugar, sports drinks, coffee drinks and soft drinks. Alcohol also has calories. Women should have no more than one drink a day, and men two.

Log your food intake.

Logging what you eat makes you aware of the foods you eat and helps you to stay within daily calorie limits. Write it down as you eat during the day. The USDA Super Tracker is a good tool for planning, analyzing and tracking diet and exercise.

Book Review: "Mindless Eating" by Brian Wansink, Ph.D.: Mindless Eating explains how to make small changes in your habits for big payoffs. You can easily lose 30 pounds in a year this way. Anyone interested in eating right is encouraged to read this book.

The Healthiest Fast Food: You can order healthy fast food, but they don't make it easy, and you may be eating more calories than you think. Learn how to order fast food that doesn't go straight to your waistline.

Food in Developing Countries: Policymakers have long tried to end hunger in the developing world. Recent evidence indicates that enhancing nutrition is more effective and less costly.

Consumer Reports "Food & Fitness" Identifies 12 Unhealthy "Health" Foods, Nine Germiest Places in your Kitchen: Consumer Reports has issued a Food & Fitness magazine, on sale through Feb. 12, 2012. Here are tips from the magazine on unhealthy "health" foods, along with ways to keep your kitchen free of bacteria.

How to Control Mindless Eating: Mindless eating is a complex topic. Many internal and external cues trigger you to eat more than you mean to. You can take simple steps to better control your eating.