Nutrition Tips

Happy National Nutrition Month!

As you celebrate National Nutrition Month this March, focus on making healthy food choices to fuel your body. When choosing a particular food, try to think about the benefits that food will provide:

• Does it contain a good source of vitamins, minerals and/or fiber?
• Is it a good source of antioxidants and phytochemicals to help in disease prevention?
  
• Does it provide adequate protein and carbohydrates to help repair muscles and replenish glucose stores after a hard workout?
• Or, does it just taste good?
  

Food should be eaten for 2 reasons: because it's nutritious or it's truly delicious. Also keep in mind that some foods can actually taste good AND provide us with health benefits! However, most Americans eat quickly or choose foods based on convenience, and often our health suffers and our taste buds miss out. We are often too busy or distracted to practice tasting and enjoying each bite, and we often miss out or ignore signals from our bodies telling us when to start and stop eating. We may also eat for emotional reasons, not related to hunger, including stress, boredom, fatigue, and loneliness. Food can serve many different functions in our lives. But it's important to remember the primary function of food is to keep our body and mind working efficiently. As a registered dietitian, I often work with people to help them re-learn hunger and fullness cues, how to eat mindfully, and how to plan for times when they may have to eat mindlessly. It is important to work on developing a positive relationship with food and your body, while undoing any negative thinking or inaccurate food rules that may have resulted from previous diets.

When thinking about food as fuel, you may also want to consider where our food comes from and how it is grown. The American Dietetic Association established "Nutrition From the Ground Up" as the 2010 National Nutrition Month theme. This may cause many people to pose the question: Should I eat organic? This article from the Mayo Clinic summarizes the differences between organic vs. nonorganic foods. The bottom line is that organic foods do not have a higher nutritional value, and organic brownies are no lower in fat or calories than nonorganic brownies. However, there are benefits to organic eating, especially when choosing the following foods which contain the largest amounts of pesticides: peaches, nectarines, apples, bell peppers, celery, strawberries, cherries, kale, lettuce, grapes, carrots and pears. This list is known as the "Dirty Dozen" and was established by the Environmental Working Group. To review their "Shopper's Guide to Pesticides Complete List" click here. Purchasing organic can also help support local farmers who meet the USDA guidelines for producing certified organic food. To learn more about organic and/or locally grown food, visit the USDA website for their "Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food" campaign. You can also click here to learn more about Florida Agriculture and locate a farmers' market in your area.

For more information on tips for healthy eating and a discussion on how & when to choose organic foods, attend our FREE nutrition seminar on March 19th at 4:30 pm.

This post was written by Kristine Van Workum, Registered Dietitian and owner of Brevard Nutrition, Inc. Kristine provides outpatient nutrition counseling for groups and individuals to help manage a wide variety of medical conditions. She specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, weight management and sports nutrition. For more information or to schedule an appointment, call 321-327-7948, or visit her website.