March is National Nutrition Month. It's also March Madness, when we eat a piece of celery to feel better about the deep-fried chicken wings we washed down with a few pints while sitting idle on the couch watching basketball.
And it's Lent, when we sometimes go without dessert, but double down on the deep-fried fish and fries.
It's been said that only in America people order a burger, fries and a diet Coke.
We're a country of gastronomical contradiction. We want to diet, but we want to have our cake and eat it too.
So for National Nutrition Month, we're not asking you to switch to a diet of kale-spinach-almond milk smoothies three times a day.
Let's start small. The theme this year is "Eat Right, Bite By Bite." It's not the one single major change that makes the biggest impact, but the small bites and daily choices.
The St. Louis District Dairy Council offers four ways to make small lifestyle changes that are achievable:
Eat a variety of foods: Choosing foods from each of the five food groups provides the variety of nutrients your body needs. As a reminder, the food groups include fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy.
Plan your meals: Yes, it takes time, but it will ultimately save you time and money, and you'll eat better.
Brush up on your cooking skills: Again, it takes time to cook and clean up. But you can save money and, perhaps more importantly, make better nutrition choices. Have pantry staples on stock, and you can always throw together a quick pasta dish or stir fry.
Consult a registered dietitian nutritionist: For a more personalized approach, ask your health care provider for a referral to registered dietitian nutritionists in your community. As the experts on food and nutrition, RDNs are qualified to give specific nutrition advice tailored to individual needs and goals.
Rather than making a nebulous pledge to yourself to "eat healthier" or try to take on a diet that's unsustainable, shoot for smaller changes that you can sustain. Those small changes can have a cumulative effect on your health.
News Tribune