For many reasons, I'm always glad when I can bid February goodbye and welcome the march toward spring. March is also National Nutrition Month when the experts at the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics walk us toward a diet that can help put spring in our steps.
This year's theme is "Personalize Your Plate." I like that. It means we have choices - within the recommendations for our age group and sex - to choose meals that satisfy our personal and cultural preferences. Here's a quiz to get us thinking about how we might create a healthier plate:
1. A reliable place to get the most up-to-date recommendations for what and how much to eat is:
a) your hairdresser
b) the guy next door
c) 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
Answer: C. Download it for free at www.dietaryguidelines.gov/resources/2020-2025-dietary-guidelines-online-materials.
2. If you are like 80 percent of Americans, you diet is lacking in:
a) a really good zero-calorie cheesecake
b) fruits and vegetables
c) high calcium foods.
Answer: B and C.
3. Most American eat:
a) too many salads
b) too few whole grains
c) not enough fiber and too much sugar.
Answer: B and C.
4. Beans, peas and lentils are unique because:
a) they count as a protein and vegetable
b) they are a zinc-rich food that can be given to babies as young as six months
c) they are one of the best sources of dietary fiber for your money
Answer: All are correct!
5. Children and teens have a critical need for calcium-rich foods and beverages because:
a) 90 percent of a girl's lifetime bone supply is deposited by her 18th birthday
b) boys reach 90 percent of their lifetime bone supply by age 20
c) a lack of calcium-rich foods in childhood and adolescence can lead to weak bones in later years
Answer: All are correct.
6. Folate (a key nutrient in beans and green leafy vegetables) and folic acid - a B-vitamin in fortified breads, cereals and dietary supplements - is important for all women capable of becoming pregnant because:
a) a deficiency of this vitamin can lead to serious birth defects
b) beans and green leafy vegetables make you more attractive
c) young females need enough of this nutrient before and in the early weeks of pregnancy to prevent birth defects.
Answers: A and C.
7. Protein-rich foods are extremely important to people of all ages but especially to people 60 years and older because:
a) protein helps strengthen bones as well as muscles
b) older people prefer cookies to seafood, poultry, lean meats, eggs and soy foods
c) many older men and women don't get enough protein in their daily diet
Answer: A and C.
8.This month I will:
a) answer as many questions from readers as space allows
b) not think you are silly for asking
c) look forward to hearing from you
All are correct.