National Nutrition Month is an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. During the month of March, everyone is encouraged to learn about making informed food choices and developing healthful eating and physical activity habits. Momentum Chiropractic is excited about participating in the celebration of health, and we want to let you in on a secret: Did you know that part of our approach to holistic wellness is nutrition planning?
You are uniquely you, and we recognize that! National Nutrition Month’s theme this year is “Celebrate a World of Flavors,” and it showcases how flavors from cultures around the world is a tasty way to nourish ourselves and appreciate our diversity. We are all unique with different bodies, goals, backgrounds and tastes. National Nutrition Month started in 1973 as National Nutrition Week, and it became a month-long observance in 1980 in response to growing interest in nutrition.
Easy ways to bring the benefits of National Nutrition Month into your home can be as simple as the following. The kids may not even notice they’re eating healthier!
- Keep the fruit bowl out and full with already washed fruit for the kids to grab. Have vegetables pre-washed, cut up and available in the refrigerator. Don’t hide them in the bottom drawers where they are forgotten. Fruits and vegetables are nature’s fast food, so grab them and go.
- Have your family participate in shopping for fruit and vegetables at the grocery store or get the yard ready to start a garden this summer. Let the kids pick out the vegetables you need and when you get home, have them help in the kitchen by cleaning and cooking with you. Talk about it and say something like, “Remember, this is the broccoli you helped me pick out at the grocery store. Will you help me wash it?” Once it is prepared, you can take it a step further at the dinner table by reminding your kids that this is the broccoli they picked out at the store, cleaned and cooked. This participation makes them feel invested in the broccoli and more likely to try it.
- Maybe your family already uses star charts and has success with them. If so, consider making a poster board sized star chart for new foods, and hand out stars every time the kids try a new food. At the end, create a space on the poster board for them to write down whether they would eat it again. I’ll bet you see a lot of yeses.
However you choose to celebrate National Nutrition Month, know that Momentum Chiropractic is in your corner and ready to join you on your health journey. We are fortunate to live in such a rich farming community and the farmer’s markets that will start back up soon will have all of the colors of the rainbow to offer. Enjoy the journey!