FIT FOR DUTY. . .FIT FOR LIFE!

“March is National Nutrition Month” Submitted by: LT Kathleen R. Manning, USPHS

What is “National Nutrition Month?”

March brings us not only the official start of spring, but also National Nutrition Month. Did you know that National Nutrition Month had its beginnings over 30 years ago? In 1973, the American Dietetic Association initiated “National Nutrition Week.” Due to a growing interest in nutrition by the public, “National Nutrition Week” was transformed into “National Nutrition Month” in 1980. Today, it is celebrated and facilitated every March by Registered Dietitians worldwide.

2006 National Nutrition Month: Step Up to Nutrition & Health

The theme for National Nutrition Month in 2006 is “Step Up to Nutrition & Health.” There are many ways that you can take small steps through good nutrition and safe food handling to a healthier lifestyle.

Make Healthy Food Choices. . .Achieve Healthy Lifestyles

We make many choices every day about different activities in our lives and it is important to remember that the food and physical activity choices that we make every day affect how we feel both today and also in the future. With today’s lifestyle, we eat in several environments—at home, work and school, in restaurants, at sporting events, and in our vehicles. The foods we bring into our environment are what we will eat. When choosing foods at the grocery store, convenience store, restaurant, or ballpark, ask yourself, “Will this food choice help me to achieve a healthier lifestyle?” Another way to take a closer look at what choices you are making is to keep a record of what you eat and drink. By recording what you eat and drink, you can see the frequency that you are eating certain foods and determine where in your day you can make healthier choices. All foods can fit into a healthy lifestyle. Some foods are more nutrient-packed and are healthier choices. Choose nutrient-packed foods such as skim milk products, fruits, vegetables and whole grains more often than foods that are less nutrient-packed such as desserts, candy, and sodas.

When making healthier food choices, choose the smartest choices from each food group and choose foods that are nutrient-packed while staying within your calorie needs for the day. Most moderately active women need approximately 1,800-2,200 calories per day and most moderately active men need about 2,200-2,800 calories per day. If you are trying to lose weight, or are not very physically active, you will most likely need fewer calories.

Bite-for-Bite: Stepping Up to Enrich Your Calories

Make each bite count! Enrich your calorie intake. Choose foods that are full of vitamins, minerals, and fiber but low in calories and saturated fat and you will get the most out of the calories that you need every day. For example, a peanut butter sandwich made with whole wheat bread for breakfast will provide more protein and fiber than a doughnut. Choosing a vegetable pizza loaded with green peppers, red peppers, onions, and mushrooms instead of a pepperoni pizza will provide you with some extra vitamin C and fiber and less fat. Snacking on low-fat popcorn will provide extra fiber and less saturated fat than potato chips. Eating brightly colored fruits and vegetables at meals and for snacks provide vitamin C, vitamin A, fiber, and some phytochemicals such as lycopene. To learn more about calorie and nutrient needs and smarter food choices, check out the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans at http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines or the revised Food Guide Pyramid at http://www.mypyramid.gov/.

Simple Steps to Practice Food Safety

While making healthier food choices, we also want to prepare, handle, and store food safely to prevent foodborne illness. This is especially important for people who may be immunocompromised, such as pregnant women, children, elderly people, people living with HIV/AIDS, and people recovering from illness or surgery.

One of the simplest ways to prevent foodborne illness is to wash your hands with soap and water for 30 seconds before preparing or handling food. Use separate cutting boards for meat and vegetables and use disposable paper towels to clean up spills instead of sponges. These simple steps can help prevent cross-contamination of foods.

Thaw meats in the refrigerator instead of on a countertop and place leftover food in small, shallow containers and refrigerate or freeze immediately after serving. These simple steps can help slow bacterial growth in food. When re-using leftovers, if you are not certain whether or not it is safe to eat, remember, “When in doubt, throw it out!”

Cook all meat and egg dishes until well-done and keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. These simple steps can keep foods out of the danger zone (40-140 degrees Fahrenheit) where bacteria can multiply rapidly.

Step Lively

As part of living a healthier lifestyle, balancing healthy eating with physical activity can help improve our overall health and fitness. It also reduces the risk of chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes while helping to control body fat and improve overall well-being.

By finding an activity that is enjoyable, people are more likely to do it consistently. It may be playing a team sport such as basketball or soccer or an individual sport such as running. Some people enjoy artistic physical activity, such as ballroom dancing or ice skating, while others enjoy staying actively productive by gardening or dog walking.

Ideally, we should all be doing some physical activity daily for 30 minutes to 1 hour. It is important to remember to start any new activity slowly and gradually increase your time and intensity from there. Adding physical activity to the day such as parking further away from destinations, taking the steps instead of the elevator, and walking to destinations instead of driving can also help use extra calories and improve cardiovascular fitness.

Launch a Healthier 2006

During National Nutrition Month, take the time to see what healthier choices you can make to achieve a healthier lifestyle. Launch a healthier 2006. Remember, you don’t need to make major changes, but you can take small steps now that will lead you to better health. To learn more about how to make healthier food choices that are specific to your lifestyle and current state of health, contact a Registered Dietitian at your local hospital or health care center or logon to the American Dietetic Association Web site at http://www.eatright.org to locate a Registered Dietitian near you.

The U.S. Public Health Service Dietitian/Nutritionist Professional Advisory Committee (D/N-PAC) continues with a series of articles aimed to provide healthy lifestyle suggestions and encouragement. Healthy lifestyle resources evaluated by the D/N-PAC and highlighted in this article will also be accessible from the USPHS Dietitians and Nutritionists Category Web site http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~phsnutr/phsnutr.html. If you have related topics of interest that you would like to learn more about in future articles, contact CDR Jean Makie, Chair, D/N-PAC at makiej@cder.fda.gov.

 

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