March is National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month
Since March is National Nutrition Month, take heed of these takeaways from this awareness campaign.

Ever heard that March is National Nutrition Month? The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics made this yearly campaign on March to drive focus to the importance of eating right healthy food and developing exercising habits.

This program will give you awareness to make the right choices when it comes to the food that will benefit you.

Here are some takeaways from this campaign:

Fruits

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Eat your fruits and veggies

It can’t be stressed enough how important this is. This should be a part of your daily meal and should at least be taken on every breakfast, lunch and dinner you are to partake. These foods have a lot of fiber and nutrients good for your body.

Know the right fat for you

There are good fats and bad fats. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are good for your heart.

Here are sources of good fat:

  • Canola oil
  • Nuts
  • Olives
  • Olive oil
  • Sesame oil
  • Corn oil
  • Fish like salmon, mackerel, sardines, tuna
  • Tofu
  • Soymilk
  • Walnuts

 

Bad fats can cause heart diseases and also increase your high blood pressure. Saturated and trans fats are categorized as bad fats.

Here are some of the sources of bad fats you have to avoid or at least reduce in your diet:

  • Ice cream
  • Stick margarine
  • Cheese
  • Butter
  • Whole fat dairy products like milk
  • Vegetable shortening
  • Candy bars
  • Crackers
  • Cakes
  • Fried food

 

Increase your water intake

It is old advice to drink 8 glasses of water every day to keep you hydrated and moisturized. Water helps your cells get the needed electrolytes to function properly. It also helps in eliminating waste in your body quickly.

Just a tip, try adding a squeeze of lemon to your water. It helps in detoxifying your body and balances the pH level in your body. That means relief from indigestion, heartburn and bloating.

Eat whole grain

Load your diet with whole grain foods like wheat, whole-grain cereal, brown rice, and oatmeal. They are good for digestion as they have a lot of fiber. This will help prevent constipation and colon related diseases.

Go for oily fish

Salmon and tuna are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. These acids are known to reduce blood pressure, relieves tension in your joints, can help ease depression, asthma, dementia and Alzheimer’s. Isn’t that almost a miracle food? So eat a healthy dose of “Fatty fishes” for a healthy heart and prevent degenerative disease.

Serve yourself healthy protein

Be cautious in eating the right meat for your protein. Some of them like pork may be bad for health. Go for lean meat like chicken and fish. Make sure to remove the skin from the chicken, that’s very unhealthy.

Prepare snacks of nuts and seeds

Instead of eating cookies, cakes, or anything sweet on your breaks, why not pack yourself a healthy snack made of nuts and seeds.

Munch on almonds, cashew and pistachios. They taste great, not fattening because there are low on calories and very satisfying. Plus they don’t have the bad cholesterol and high sugars bad for your teeth that you get out of fast food treats.

So there you go make this March your Nutrition Month.