- Author: Angelica Perez
It's National Nutrition Month! This year's theme is, “Putting Your Best Fork Forward” to show us how every bite you take counts.
This month is also a reminder of what was highlighted in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans: change takes time, so beginning with a small change to reach a healthier, long lasting habit is important. Here are some key messages provided by eatright.org to take into consideration this National Nutrition Month:
- Create an eating style that includes a variety of your favorite, healthful foods.
- Practice cooking more at home and experiment with healthier ingredients.
- How much we eat is as important as what we eat. Eat and drink the right amount for you, as MyPlate encourages us to do.
- Find activities that you enjoy and be physically active most days of the week.
- Manage your weight or lower your health risks by consulting a registered dietitian nutritionist. RDNs can provide sound, easy-to-follow personalized nutrition advice to meet your lifestyle, preferences and health-related needs.
How do you plan to take charge of your health this month? Hopefully this month motivates you to make a small change or to continue making changes you are already working on. Nutrition is not one size fits all, and we hope you find your perfect fit to a healthier lifestyle.
For more information on National Nutrition Month, visit eatright.org and get inspired!
- Author: Emily Harris
In honor of National Breakfast Week, this month's Tasty Tips is all about the first meal of the day. Many of us are busy and find excuses to skip this important meal that “breaks the fast” after sleeping through the night. If this is you, then look no further than this post! You'll find tips and recipes to get over your breakfast slump and find out what it feels like to start every day right with breakfast.
1. Skip the excuses, not breakfast.
“I don't have time.”
“I don't like breakfast.”
“I'm not hungry in the morning.”
If you identify with any of these breakfast excuses, you're not alone. But before you make another excuse, remember that breakfast fires up your metabolism after 8-plus hours without any food.
2. Make breakfast prep an evening routine.
Prep everything you'll need for breakfast the night before, whether that's setting your bowls, spoons and cereal on the table or making a grab-and-go bowl of yogurt and fruit that you can take with you as you run out the door. If everything is already done, you're more likely to make this morning meal a priority.
3. Toss aside the idea of “breakfast food.”
Whether you have a child who doesn't like traditional breakfast foods or you find yourself cringing at the idea of eating a scrambled egg or oatmeal in the morning, forget the idea that breakfast is only made with certain foods. There are no rules to what you are allowed to eat at breakfast! If you have left over spaghetti that needs to be eaten or you prefer a grilled cheese sandwich with apple slices, go for it! All that matters is that you eat in the morning, while aiming for at least three food groups when you do.
Need some #BreakfastInspiration?
Check out the recipes and articles below to start your day with food that energizes and inspires you.
Breakfast Ideas for Busy Mornings
Easy Breakfasts for Kids to Make
Smart Nutrition Solutions for Busy Mornings
Try one of these recipes, take a picture and tweet it to us @UCCalFreshFC with the hashtags: #BreakfastInspiration #UCCE #UCANR and the name of the recipe!
- Author: Brittanny N. Zweigle
What does that mean – a healthy lifestyle... and how are we supposed to bite into it? How does one choose to be healthy? Biting into a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be as hard as it sounds. Making healthy lifestyle changes should be easy and positive. Just making small adjustments or additions to your diet and lifestyle will help you become healthier overall.
Here are five tips to help you bite into your healthy lifestyle:
Eat breakfast – taking a bite into breakfast is one of the easiest ways to improve your health. Aim for 3 of the 5 food groups. Try a bowl of oatmeal topped with nuts and dried fruit, and enjoy it with low-fat milk. Or indulge in a spinach quesadilla made with a whole wheat tortilla, low-fat cheese and spinach! Need something quick? Toast a whole wheat waffle or English muffin, add peanut butter, and run out the door with a piece of fruit.
Make half your plate fruits and vegetables – try to add 2 servings of fruit and 2 ½ servings of vegetables into your diet every day. Add them in as a part of a healthy snack. Try combination snacks like carrots, or celery with hummus or peanut butter. Enjoy low-fat yogurt or cheese with a piece of fruit, or mixed nuts with some fruits or veggies.
Watch Portion Sizes – do you know how much you are actually eating? Get out the measuring cup and see how close your portions are to the recommended serving size. Most of us eat a lot more than we think we do. Try using a salad plate instead of a dinner plate; you'll naturally eat less, because the plate is smaller.
Be active – Children and teens need 60 minutes of physical activity a day, adults should aim for 30 minutes to help maintain a healthy lifestyle. You don't need do it all once! Either go for a walk on your break, take the stairs, or park further away to sneak in extra steps. After dinner have the family go for a walk or ride your bikes together. It's easy to rack up the minutes when you're having fun.
Drink more water – One of the easiest healthy lifestyle changes is to drink water instead of sugary beverages. Cutting the sugar sweetened drinks can be hard. Start by choosing a bottle of water instead of a soda, and naturally decreasing from there. Let thirst be your guide.
For more ways on how you can bite into a healthy lifestyle, visit http://www.nationalnutritionmonth.org/nnm/. Enjoy their resources and other tips on how to keep you and your family healthy!
