Nutrition from the Ground Up

Do you know that March is National Nutrition Month (NNM)? Well it is!

NNM was developed by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) to promote nutrition education and information. The ADA, the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, started NNM in 1973.

This year’s theme is “Nutrition from the Ground Up” emphasizing the key to a healthful diet is improving your nutrition…from the ground up. Comparing good nutrition to a farmer planting and raising his crop is so appropriate! A good crop doesn’t happen in two weeks nor does a healthy diet claim to “drop two dress sizes in two weeks”.

Developing a healthy diet takes time. Just like farming, healthy eating requires a good foundation. It requires a plan, daily consistency, and follow-through with that plan. It takes work but the rewards are worth it. Don’t get discouraged, even making small changes can make a difference.

When I teach nutrition education, I always start with the basics:

• Eat at least 5 fruits and vegetables daily
• Consume healthy carbohydrates that are high in whole grains
• Eat more lean types of meat and poultry and try to eat more fish
• Decrease the amount of refined carbohydrates especially in beverages
• Consume low-fat or no-fat dairy products
• Decrease the amount of fat in your diet especially trans-fat and saturated fat

Start with one step to improve your eating habits. Don’t make drastic changes or completely overhaul your diet. Making small, reasonable changes increases the likelihood that you will make them a permanent part of your lifestyle.

For more ideas on building your healthful diet from the ground up and other topics, such as food safety, disease management and prevention, and the tip of the day, visit the ADA website: www.eatright.org. This site is a good resource for nutrition education all year long.

For more information or to get trim in 2010, register for our advances in medicine seminar on Tuesday, March 30th from Noon - 1 p.m. at the Heart Center on the campus of Texas Health Fort Worth. To register, click here.

Jamie Bass, MS, RD/LD
Bariatric Services