Spring is definitely on the horizon and my calendar is reminding me that it’s time to prune fruit trees and grapes and will soon be time to order seeds for this year’s vegetable garden.
Spring also means National Nutrition Month and an opportunity to learn more about making informed food choices and developing physical activity habits.
This year’s theme is Food Connects Us, so I thought I would share a few tips on making better food choices, simple ways to increase your physical activity, and some ways to connect you with the food you eat and maybe even get the kids excited about eating well.
Steps for Change
If you’re struggling to make changes that will improve your health, here are four simple things you can do relatively easily:
- Fruits and Vegetables – eliminate canned and use fresh or frozen. The canning process destroys nutrients in the food. Fresh from your garden or the Farmer’s Market is best, frozen may be better than fresh at the grocery store depending on how long the produce has traveled after harvest.
- Salt – get rid of iodized table salt and switch to an unrefined sea salt. Our favorite is Redmond Sea Salt packed with naturally occurring minerals and no additives.
- Sweeteners – eliminate refined white sugar and switch to raw honey (local if possible), maple syrup, molasses, and turbinado. Processed and refined sugars, especially high fructose corn syrup, have a disastrous effect on our health!
- Fats – eliminate fake fats, hydrogenated fats, and processed vegetable oils and switch to traditional fats like butter, olive oil, coconut oil, lard, and tallow. Healthy fats are essential to our health!
To learn more, watch this 10-Steps to Real Food video series.
Move It or Lose It
If you struggle making time for physical activity, here are a couple tips that might help. The key is to just get started!
- Start with walking 15-minutes a day – around the yard, around the block – whatever works for you. Even 15-minutes will make a difference. Then work your way up to 30-minutes a day.
- Try riding a bike. For some, riding may be easier on joints and more enjoyable.
- Schedule your walk or bike ride. Put it on your calendar, in your phone, or tape the reminder to your refrigerator. Setting aside time every day helps you remember and helps develop the habit.
Connecting
Food really does connect us, but I know from experience that it isn’t always easy to get the kids excited about dinner time or eating real food. Here are a few things that might help them get excited, or at least willing to try.
- Make family meals a priority. Eating meals together has many benefits – including better grades and better mental health. And a survey in 2000 showed that kids aged 9-14 who ate dinner with their families ate more fruits and vegetables and less soda and fried foods.
- Let each of the kids plan the menu one day each week. You set the parameters: 1-protein, 1-whole grain, 1-fruit, 1 or 2-vegetables, and 1-dairy, then let them fill in the blanks. This is a great way to help them learn about healthy eating.
- Attend cultural festivals. Attend Greek Fest and try souvlaki or dolma, Festa Italiana and sample risotto or real ravioli, or a St. Patrick’s Day festival and try corned beef and cabbage and soda bread. Cultural festivals give the family an opportunity to try new foods that may spill over into dinner time.
- Grow your own garden. Let the children pick a plant that they want to grow from seed to harvest. Put them in charge of planting, weeding, harvesting, and deciding how to prepare the food they grow.
Making small, sustainable, changes to your diet and lifestyle can have a big impact on your physical and mental health. National Nutrition Month is a great time to start!
Do you need help? Don’t hesitate to reach out – I’m here to help you on your journey. Schedule a Nutritional Therapy Consultation for support with your nutrition goals.
