March is National Nutrition Month, when the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics reminds everyone to return to the basics of healthy eating. The Academy’s theme this year, “Personalize Your Plate” emphasizes how there’s “no one-size-fits-all approach to nutrition and health” and the importance of finding a healthy and realistic approach to nutrition that works for you! Here are 5 simple tips for National Nutrition Month:
1. Research and pick your nutrition plan. “We are all unique with different bodies, goals, backgrounds, and tastes,” states the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which is why one nutrition plan who works for someone else, may not work for you. The good news is that there is a plan for you…you just need to find it and possibly even test a few before you find the right one for you! There’s calorie counting, ww, Ketogenic/low-carb, plant-based, intermittent fasting, and the list goes on. Check out these popular and effective nutrition plans and find one that works for you!
2. Cook and meal prep. One tip for successfully implementing your nutrition plan is to plan ahead and prepare. Select one day of the week to do your grocery shopping and meal prepping for the week. If meal prepping for the entire week isn’t realistic, still plan out your meals by writing them down or even creating a meal planning calendar and posting it in your kitchen. That way, when you get home late because you were stuck in traffic or there’s a last-minute school project your kid just informed you of, you’ll have one less item on your list you have to think about. If the idea of cooking and meal prepping sounds overwhelming, check out our favorite healthy meal service programs that can be customized for a variety of nutrition plans.
3. Be flexible. As we said before, nutrition (as well as weight loss and health) are not one-size-fits-all. If you start off with one nutrition plan and it’s just not working, don’t force yourself to stick with it. Instead, go back to researching and start testing out other plans to see if they’re right for you. We do recommend that unless you’re experiencing adverse effects of a new nutrition plan, try and stick with it for at least one month to really see if it’s right for you or not. You want to find a plan that you can sustain for the long-term and sometimes, it takes time in finding what works best for you.
4. Get creative. Regardless of which plan(s) you chose, it’s normal to get stuck in a rut and want to quit in. Instead of throwing in the towel, spice up your plan by cooking new recipes and experimenting with different ingredients that align with your plan. Between speciality grocery stores and never-ending food blogs, there’s an abundance of resources and recipes for every nutrition plan.
5. Get support. Starting a new nutrition plan can be daunting and for some, lonely if your family isn’t participating. Take advantage of the endless Facebook groups catered to specific nutrition plans where you’ll not only gain support from others on the same plan as you, but also tips and helpful advice. In addition, if Facebook isn’t for you, there’s countless online groups and blogs focused on specific nutrition plans that you can join and participate in.
Visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics National Nutrition Month for more information help you and your family “personalize your plate.”
Now that you have our top 5 simple tips for National Nutrition Month, here’s a tip for for weight loss motivation and accountability: start a HealthyWager, the individual weight loss challenge customized to you! You pick your weight loss goal, the timeframe you want to lose it in, and prize (up to $10,000)! Ready to get started? Enter your information in the HealthyWage Prize Calculator to find out how much you can win!!
