Food Connects Us

National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.  The campaign focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. This year’s theme is “Food Connects Us.”

Last year’s theme was Beyond the Table. Fuel for the Future, Celebrate a World of Flavors, and Personalize Your Plate have been themes from other years. March is designated as a time to draw more awareness to the importance of nutrition. However, is there ever a time I’m not teaching nutrition? Weekly, there’s a different theme. Challenge yourself to see what changes you can make that are sustainable, long-term, and applicable. Small changes can make a significant impact on your health.

Food is a connecting factor for many of us. Food connects us to our cultures, our families, and our friends. Sharing a meal is an opportunity to learn about its preparation, who made it, and where the ingredients were sourced. Health, memories, traditions, seasons, and access can all impact our relationship with food. While these factors influence the foods we eat, the foods we eat also affect our health.

Week 1: Connect with Food

• Learn cooking, food preparation, and meal planning skills. I didn’t learn how to cook until I went off to college. I was immersed in my sophomore year, and it was ‘sink or swim’ if I wanted to eat. Luckily, I had a roommate and friend, and we rotated the nights we’d all cook and share. But I didn’t learn to cook well until I lived alone during my first year in Dallas. It’s where I started experimenting with different cooking methods and exploring flavors from other cultures. Flash forward to today, and the number one thing I recommend to patients is to ‘plan your meals’ and learn a few recipes that are your tried and true go-to recipes to have on rotation. P.S. I am not a trained chef, nor do I profess to be, and you don’t have to be to make food that tastes delicious!
• Explore where your food comes from. I’ve recently started buying some produce from the farmer’s markets here in Miami. I’ve always wanted to and said this would be a great way to give back to the local farmers. The lettuce, turnips, carrots, and tomatoes all taste BETTER! And I’m sure glad I don’t have to grow my own food.
• Learn about community resources such as SNAP, WIC, and local food banks. My first job out of college was working for Women, Infants, and Children. It was a great learning experience to be able to not only help educate women during a time when they needed nutrition but also a great opportunity to help those in a time of need. Many fond memories looking back on my time working for that organization in Florida, Texas, and California.

Connect With a Nutrition Expert

• Ask your doctor for a referral to an RDN. I previously worked with the cardiology group at a local hospital: 48 doctors and one dietitian. Diet and disease have an important connection that needs to be highlighted. Doctors don’t have enough time to teach and focus on all that dietitians do. Inquire about a referral, as many insurance companies are now allowing visits to see a dietitian.
• Find an RDN who specializes in your unique needs. Similar to doctors, dietitians specialize in different areas. Specifically, my focus has been on diabetes over the last 10 years. However, stepping into the cardiology field and beginning to bridge the gap to help in prevention. It’s an exciting time to help people feel well.
• Receive personalized nutrition information to meet your health goals. What works for your family member or neighbor might not be what works for you. Registered dietitian nutritionists’ jobs are to help people find what works for them over the long term. Sustainable changes a person can make to help improve their health!

Explore the Connection Between Food and Culture

• Experiment with recipes using different ingredients or cooking techniques. Understand that food is expensive and we don’t want to waste food with these experimentations. However, we are all creatures of habit and repeatedly start eating the same foods. The idea here is to incorporate a new recipe here and there. Explore a vegetable that’s prepared in a different way that may be more flavorful, and you end up liking (not asking people to eat foods they do not enjoy; however, again, remember foods prepared in different ways can taste better.
• Include your favorite cultural foods and traditions, or try new global flavors. Do you know what’s still on my list to do? Travel more! Until then, I will continue to eat foods from different cultures, which allows me to explore foods as though I were traveling. New restaurants keep popping up here in Miami. I just recently tried the restaurant Pasta. The two chefs that run the restaurant are Peruvian, so the starters and desserts have a different spin, with homemade pasta. The dinner was out of this world delicious!
• Enjoy your meals with family or friends when possible. Since completing my master’s, this has been high on my list to do! Reconnect with friends and enjoy good conversation with good food. Simply the best!

Build the Connection Across All Stages of Life

• Learn how nutrient needs may change with age. It is SO important to learn about nutrition and how it changes across the lifespan. A registered dietitian nutritionist can also be very beneficial in helping you learn what you might need more of and less of.
• Include healthful foods from all food groups. This goes back to being creatures of habit and eating the same thing repeatedly. Switch it up and try a new food this week. When eating fruits and vegetables, I encourage kids to think of their color. They could eat red strawberries if they don’t care for red tomatoes. While not precisely the same nutrients, they are in the same color hue and have some of the same phytonutrients. It’s an excellent way for them to focus less on what they don’t like and encourage them to focus on what they do like. Yes, we want kids to eat their leafy green vegetables, but at the end of the day, they may not care for them just yet!
• Focus on balanced and sustainable eating habits. Find what you’re able to do and what you can STICK with. Yes, some weeks will be better than others, but the key is staying consistent (as possible!)

What does “Food Connect Us ” mean this National Nutrition Month®?   Accept the challenge of creating sustainable eating habits and ways to sustain the environment.  Share below how you’re celebrating! Happy National Nutrition Month®!