National nutrition month is here

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March is home to National Nutrition Month — an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to bring awareness to healthful eating and physical activity habits.

The theme for 2021, “Personalize Your Plate,” enforces the idea that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to nutrition and health — and I could not agree more!

We are all unique — we all have different bodies, health goals, cultural backgrounds, and taste preferences. This is important to keep in mind when talking to family, friends, neighbors or co-workers. Just because something works for one person, doesn’t mean it will work for you (and vice versa).

Eating is an important part of our day-to-day tasks. We need to eat to survive and if so much of our day is going to be devoted to eating, it should be viewed as a positive experience. It shouldn’t be an experience that we dread knowing the meal will be boring, bland, or contain foods we don’t even particularly like.

Developing healthful eating habits doesn’t require drastic changes; it doesn’t have to mean eliminating all your favorites; and it doesn’t have to involve any sort of cleanse or detox. One of the easiest ways to personalize your plate is by spicing up your meals using the foods and flavors you enjoy. It’s also fun to experiment with new spices, herbs and seasonings.

Just this week I took what could have easily been a meal lacking flavor and turned it into a meal that was bursting with flavor in every bite: chicken breasts and veggies. Sounds boring right? Wrong.

I marinated my chicken breasts in my favorite hot sauce, Italian salad dressing, a little Worcestershire sauce, and black pepper. Then, instead of simply baking them, I grilled them for an extra boost of flavor. For my veggies, I chopped up a head of broccoli, tossed it in olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper, topped it with Parmesan cheese and roasted it in the oven.

Then, I treated myself to a bowl of ice cream. It’s all about moderation, folks.

If you’re struggling to figure out how you can incorporate your favorite foods while still focusing on specific health goals — whether that be weight management or disease prevention — contact a registered dietitian to help you create an action plan. Registered dietitians can help fine-tune traditional recipes, provide alternative cooking methods and other healthful advice for incorporating family-favorite foods into everyday meals.

For more information on nutrition and physical activity, or if you’re looking for new recipes, visit: food.unl.edu.

Jordan Luxa is a Food, Nutrition and Health Educator for Nebraska Extension in Washington County. She can be contacted at 402-426-9455, jordan.luxa@unl.edu, or visit the Washington County Extension website at www.washington.unl.edu.