March is National Nutrition Month
National Nutrition Month is a great time to focus on your health goals! Every January we are bombarded with news about the latest diet promising we will lose 20 pounds overnight, when what we need is a balanced plan to eat healthier. The USDA’s My Plate program has launched its latest initiative, Start Simple with My Plate, emphasizing the importance of good nutrition.
The Start Simple Website (www.choosemyplate.gov) offers some great tips for you to consider:
- Focus on whole fruits. Try including fruit at breakfast by topping whole grain cereal with your favorite fruit, adding berries to pancakes, or mixing dried fruit into hot oatmeal.
- Vary your veggies. Make extra vegetables and save some for tomorrow’s lunch or use them tomorrow in a stew, soup, or pasta dish. Remember to Eat a Rainbow and track the days you increase your vegetable intake!
- Vary your protein routine. Try using a new protein, like shrimp, beans, or fish the next time you fix tacos, pasta dishes, etc.
- Make half of your grains, whole grains. Experiment with brown rice, quinoa, barley, or another grain.
- Switch to low-fat or fat-free milk or yogurt. Try a yogurt parfait topped with nuts and fruit for breakfast.
- Drink and eat less sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars. Reading labels and dining at home are the best way to lower sodium, fat and sugar in your diet.
- Make sure you drink plenty of water every day!
FAST FOOD BREAKFAST
Many fast food breakfast choices are high in calories and saturated fat. And when you consider the time it takes for the drive-through line, are they really faster? Quick can be healthful. Try blending frozen fruit and yogurt for an on-the-go smoothie, top a whole-grain English muffin or bagel with peanut butter and sliced bananas, or fill a whole-wheat tortilla with leftover chicken breast and spinach for a breakfast wrap.
Source: HealthFitness Dietitian
Epilepsy Awareness
March 26th, Purple Day, is dedicated to bringing awareness to the world about epilepsy. In 2008, Purple Day began as a grassroots effort. Now it is celebrated all over the world. It is celebrated by everyone from the guy next door to major celebrities simply by wearing purple.
The idea of Purple Day was initially conceived by Cassidy Megan of Nova Scotia, Canada in 2008. She struggled with epilepsy and her goal was to let those who struggle with it know they aren’t alone. She wanted to help dispel some of the myths surrounding epilepsy. The Epilepsy Association of Nova Scotia decided to promote her idea of a day for epilepsy, and thus, Purple Day was born.