Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? This year’s theme encourages you to Eat Right for Your Lifestyle. While the sentiment behind this may feel quite simplistic, there’s a lot of valuable advice hidden amongst these five little words. Let’s break it down:
ENJOYABLE You are an individual with your own personal food preferences. Instead of feeling as though you should eat certain foods for health promotion, you may find there are several nutritious foods you actually want to eat because of how they taste and make you feel. On the contrary, this also means that you can enjoy less healthy favorites periodically without guilt. Research shows that leaving space for all the foods you enjoy can actually help you learn to savor them in moderation.
NATURAL You may be a planner or you may not be. Either way, balanced nutrition is within reach when you learn to incorporate healthier foods that fit naturally into your personal food preferences and meal routine. For example:
- If you like the idea of cooking but lack knowledge, you may find meal subscriptions or a cooking class helpful tools as you get started.
- If you don’t have time to cook regularly, keeping minimally-processed convenience foods accessible may make it easier for you to make a healthy choice more often.
- If you are looking for some meaningful motivation, try doing some personal reflection to identify how healthy eating helps you prioritize your personal values. Spoiler! We’ll talk more about this next week.
ACHIEVABLE While it’s ideal for nutritious foods to make up the majority of your day-to-day intake, this recognizes the value in making small, consistent changes to reach this overall goal. Taking small steps encourages you to establish healthy eating habits that last a lifetime. You are bound to have a few hiccups along your journey to balanced nutrition. Instead of getting frustrated, explore them with compassion and curiosity to gain insight into what triggered your setback. This will help you navigate difficult situations more easily in the future.