March is National Nutrition Month, and it’s a good time to tune up your diet for spring. This year’s theme is Go Further With Food, a fantastic concept to consider. We go further with food when we make great choices at breakfast to fuel us through our busy mornings, or when we choose foods to eat before an athletic event. In reality, all of life is an endurance event, whether you compete or not, and we simply “go further” when we make choices that benefit our bodies.
Today’s key message for going further with food:
Include a wide variety of healthy foods from ALL the food groups. Go for variety in types of food, colors, and seek a balanced plate.
Some tips:
- Eat from a plate, not a bag or box. Notice what food groups you’ve chosen. Is there something from most of the 5 groups? If not, make sure you include what’s missing at your next meal or snack. Check out MyPlate or EatDrinkGo if you need guidance on what to include.
- Start well, end well. Your first meal of the day sets the tone for the rest of your day. Make it a good one, including a healthy grain, a fruit/vegetable, and something from the dairy/protein group will set you up nicely.
- Go for 80/20. Select 80% of what you eat and drink based on how it will benefit your body and health. Let the rest go. If you make 8 out of 10 food and beverage choices each day that are great for you, you will go further than you can imagine.