National Nutrition Month® 2021

Blog post written by Kelsey Black, IUPUI Dietetic Intern

March is National Nutrition Month®!
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​To celebrate this time of focusing on good nutrition, let’s take a closer look at the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. These guidelines provide advice on what to eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and help prevent chronic disease. The newest addition of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (released in 2020) is the first to provide information on healthy dietary patterns by life stage. This includes birth through older adulthood, as well as women who are pregnant or lactating. If you would like more information, visit DietaryGuidelines.gov or MyPlate.gov.

​Making Every Bite Count

​Adults who regularly exercise and eat a balanced diet tend to feel better, have better bone health, and reduce their risk of many diseases (such as heart disease, diabetes, depression, dementia, and certain types of cancer).

​So, what does a balanced plate look like? Use MyPlate as a guide! This tool can help you "make every bite count" by eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, proteins, and dairy or soy alternatives at each meal. Eating a well-rounded mix of foods from each food group is important for promoting health at each life stage. 

​Key Messages for Every Life Stage

Fruit – Focus on whole fruits

• Start your day with fruit at breakfast. Top cereal with your favorite fruit, add fresh berries to your yogurt, add chopped apples to pancakes, mix raisins into oatmeal.
• Keep ready-to-eat fruits in the refrigerator for a quick snack to grab on the go.
• Add a fruit salad to your dinner. Top your fish or chicken with a mango salsa.

Vegetables – Vary your veggies

• Add lettuce, tomatoes, and onions to your sandwich.
• Make a salad full of spinach, lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, celery and peppers.
• Keep veggies available in your fridge to snack on!
• Try a stir-fry with fresh or frozen veggies for an easy side dish.

Grains – Make half your grains whole grains

• For breakfast, consider trying whole grain based hot and cold cereals.
• Try whole-grain pita, tortillas, whole-grain flatbread, sliced breads or rolls.
• Keep whole grain crackers in your pantry and enjoy with hummus, cheese and turkey or avocado. This is a great healthy whole-grain snack!
• Create your own trail mix/Chex mix with whole grain cereal. 

Protein Foods – Vary your proteins

• Broil lean beef cuts such as flank steak or sirloin. Roast lean types of pork tenderloin or loin tops. Slice into strips and add to dinners, salads and sandwiches.
• Add chicken to your pasta or salad.
• Have fish/seafood 2 times a week. Try a tuna salad sandwich for lunch or grilled tilapia or salmon for dinner. These are great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.
• Try meatless meals! Bean-based chili, lentil soup, and bean salad are tasty and budget-friendly.

​Dairy – Move to low-fat or fat-free dairy milk or yogurt

• Add low-fat or fat-free dairy to your scrambled eggs, smoothies, or oatmeal at breakfast.
• Top low-fat or fat-free yogurt with fruit.
• The nutrients in dairy are very important at every stage of life. If you need an alternative, try lactose-free dairy or fortified soy versions of milk and yogurt. 

Limit Added Sugars 

• Limit sugary beverages (soda, lemonade, sport drinks, or fruit drinks). Try plain water, sparkling water, or put fruit in water (lemon, mint, lime, etc.).
• Choose foods with no or fewer added sugars. Examples include canned fruit in 100% juice, plain yogurt, and unsweetened applesauce.

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Limit Saturated Fat

• Choose foods that are high in unsaturated (or heart healthy) fats. These include nuts, seeds, and fatty fish like tuna, salmon, and trout.
• Try cooking with canola oil, olive oil, or other vegetable oils instead of butter or lard.

Limit Sodium (Salt)

• Pay attention to the Nutrition Facts label and chose foods with a lower percent Daily Value (% DV) for sodium on the label. This is especially important for those who have high blood pressure, diabetes, or kidney disease.
• Cook at home! When you cook at home, you are in control of how much sodium goes into the meals you cook. You can add flavor to foods by using herbs, spices, lemon, lime, and vinegar instead of salt or seasonings high in sodium. 

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Photos from rachaelsgoodeats.com

Healthy Meal Ideas

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

• Fruit/Vegetable: Chunky Mango Pico
• Grain: Whole wheat tortillas
• Protein: Cod fish
• Dairy: Plain yogurt (in place of sour cream)

White Bean Greek Salad + Sides

• Fruit/Dairy: Smoothie with fresh or frozen fruit + milk
• Vegetable/Protein: White Bean Greek Salad
• Grain: Whole grain crackers

​Sources:
www.dietaryguidelines.gov
www.myplate.gov