March Into Health: Celebrate National Nutrition Month with These Tips
March is National Nutrition Month!
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics started the annual campaign 50 years ago. During March, information and education are shared to help promote healthier habits regarding food and physical activity.
Some nutritionists and dietitians make take this month to promote their favorite diets or weight loss tips, but you can celebrate National Nutrition Month without all of the restrictions.
Here are three ways that I recommend celebrating National Nutrition Month.
1. Explore How Foods Make You Feel When You Eat Them.
What do I mean by this? Typically, we make food choices based on the foods' health and nutrient content. We don’t necessarily choose foods based on how they make us feel.
Diet culture will tell you that making food choices based on how we feel could lead to obsessively eating unhealthy foods, ultimately leading to weight gain. So scary!
With Intuitive Eating, however, we work on letting go of food rules and the diet mentality that navigated what foods we ate and instead work on choosing foods that make us mentally, emotionally, and physically feel good.
We all know food has a mental and emotional component. Think about those cookies you made with your grandmother growing up. Those bring comfort and happiness because it connects you to your grandmother, BAM there is an example of that component.
So, instead of saying no to that piece of cheesecake for dessert because you don’t want to gain weight, ask yourself a few questions:
Will eating this slice of cheesecake make me feel overfull?
Will it satisfy me?
Am I craving this?
Is there something else I would rather have to finish off this meal?
Knowing how that food will make you feel can help you determine if you truly want it or not. You can apply this strategy to any food!
2. Eat when you are hungry.
Sounds simple, but how many of us push through those hunger pangs until eating is convenient for us? Of course, there are times when you really cannot eat.
If you are in the middle of a presentation you can’t just stop presenting to grub on a sandwich. I’m sure your boss would not be very happy about that, but knowing that you typically get hungry during the time of your presentation might be a good place for you to nourish yourself and eat a snack before- even if you aren’t super hungry, to help you stay fueled and focused during that presentation.
Eating isn’t a sign of weakness! You're not a failure for having lunch and being hungry an hour and a half later. It could mean a lot of things, so don’t immediately think negatively about yourself.
If you are someone that gets hungry soon after your meals, have a snack on hand. Having snacks that hit all 3 macronutrients, fats, proteins, and carbs, can help keep you energized and fuller longer. Being full for longer helps your brain focus on other things besides what and when you will be eating next.
Make sure you are getting in breakfast! Whatever that looks like for you. If that means a grab-and-go cereal bar and fruit, go for it!
If you have more time in the mornings and can make eggs and toast, kudos to you! Breakfast is super important and that cup of coffee to curb your hunger ain’t going to cut it in the long run.
3. Remember All Foods Fit!
No one food is going to make you super healthy, just like no one food is going to ruin your health and cause disease. All foods provide you with energy, calories, and nutrients.
Do some provide more nutrients or a variety of vitamins and minerals? Yes. Do some foods provide more satisfaction? Yes. There is nothing wrong with that!
Following a restrictive diet that encourages ~clean eating~ throughout the week and cheat days on the weekends typically leads to a mentality that there are “good” and “bad” foods. It puts certain foods on a pedestal when in reality, all foods are neutral and equal.
When you can view food as food, you can enjoy food for other reasons than to look the healthiest and lose weight.
So if you are craving something crunchy with lunch and your salad isn’t cutting it, allow yourself permission to have some chips or pretzels to satisfy that crunch craving. This mentality can help improve your relationship with food and lead you down the path of food freedom.
So, how do you plan to celebrate National Nutrition Month?!
Embrace Variety & Balance In Your Diet
Ready to ditch the diet mentality for good? I’m here to help. I’ll work with you to build lifelong, sustainable habits that fit you.