The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics supports the annual focus of National Nutrition Month®. The goal is to educate consumers about making informed food choices along with improving physical activity.
For the March 2022 campaign, the theme is “Celebrate a World of Flavors.” Learn to incorporate foods and flavors from other cultures around the world each week.
There are tools to help spread the message of choosing nutritious foods and boosting a variety of flavors. This includes social media posts and many tip sheets, activities, and more. See the National Nutrition Month® website for details.
Take these steps to be safe and healthy during the holidays.
Wash hands often to help prevent the spread of germs. It’s flu season. Wash your hands with soap and clean running water for at least 20 seconds.
Eat healthy, stay active. Eat fruits and vegetables which pack nutrients and help lower the risk for certain diseases. Limit your portion sizes and foods high in fat, salt, and sugar. Also, be active for at least 2½ hours a week and help kids and teens be active for at least 1 hour a day.
Holiday party planning is in full gear to celebrate with family and friends. But all the tasty goodies can add more fat and sugar to your diet plan. With planning and simple ingredient swaps, you can still have tasty treats.
Instead of a sweet potato casserole, try roasting sweet potatoes with other root vegetables to reduce fat, sugar and calories. Replace sugar in sweet potato casseroles with some 100% orange juice to add flavor and reduce sugar content.
Do you struggle making pie crust? Make a crustless pumpkin pie or an apple crisp instead. It saves you time and reduces the fat content without a crust.
For those who use Alexa, there is a new option to receive MyPlate nutrition information straight to your home.
The MyPlate Alexa skill targets parents and caregivers of babies and toddlers to give science-based food and nutrition advice. More age groups will be added.
A hot cup of coffee helps to power through your to-do-list! Photo: Alice Henneman
Do you crave that cup of coffee to give you a morning boost? Many do to get their day started. Caffeine has been a go-to source of energy for centuries.
Caffeine has some benefits. It is a mild stimulant and can improve brain function. It has some potential to lower risks for type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancer. Besides caffeine, polyphenols and antioxidants can also provide some protection to chronic illnesses.
But, while these benefits are encouraging, there are some risks. Not everyone reacts to caffeine the same. Caffeine consumption frequency can cause you to consume even more over time to get the same affect. Excess caffeine can raise blood pressure, cause insomnia, jitters, increased heart rate, headaches, nausea among other health concerns. Your weight and medications you take can also change how you tolerate caffeine.
The 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that healthy adults can safely consume 400 mg of caffeine each day. This is equal to about four cups of coffee. Pregnant women should cut that amount in half.
Getting enough sleep can help reduce the amount of caffeine needed to stay awake. Adults should strive for seven to nine hours each night. Besides coffee, there are other choices. Check out this caffeine calculator to learn more.
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), can be uncomfortable and disruptive to any eating occasion. Can apples calm down stomach acid issues? Possibly.
There are general guidelines to choose the best foods to treat GERD. Eat small portions for meals or snacks. Choose low-fat foods as fatty or greasy foods produce more stomach acid.
Fruits such as apples, grapes, cranberry, bananas and pears are good choices instead of citrus fruits and tomatoes. Steam, roast, stir fry or air fry vegetables instead of frying in fat or adding a cream sauce.
Foods that reduce problems with GERD help the muscle at the bottom of the esophagus relax which reduces acid production.
Menu labeling at restaurants is required for businesses that own 20 or more locations.
Assessment of consumer behaviors in the areas of food safety and nutrition helps drive many public health issues. This includes the types of education and risk-management decisions to protect public health.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has many education resources available through the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) website.
Most of these resources are available by download, but some printed copies are available to order in limited quantities for no cost. There are also links to videos.
Search these publications by audience, format, subject, and more. Many are translated into many other languages such as Spanish, Chinese and Vietnamese.
