Five simple ways to eat healthier during nutrition month and beyond – Tallahassee Democrat

Mark A. Mahoney| Guest columnist

National Nutrition Month which began in 1980 is celebrated in March and stresses the importance of a balanced diet and exercise. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics promotes the transformative powers of healthy food choices.

The Academy encourages using a registered dietitian in order to develop and stick with a healthy eating plan. The 2022 theme, Celebrate a World of Flavors, embraces global cultures, cuisines and inclusion, plus showcases the expertise of registered dietitian nutritionists.

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Here are five realistic ways to eat healthier this month:

We all know drinking water helps in nearly every aspect of wellness, but drinking the recommended amount of water per day can be tough. Electrolyte additives offer the same, if not better benefits than drinking six or more glasses of water a day would.

Though there are some wholack certain vitamins and minerals that cant be achieved through diet alone, most of the good things our bodies need come from food not store-bought supplements. Research shows that certain supplements havent been tested to meet many purity and safety standards, making them unreliable sources of nutrition.

When in doubt, throw some color on your plate natural color, that is. Bright greens from crunchy vegetables or vibrant reds from tangy fruit will not only make your meal Instagram-worthy, theyll give you a healthy boost.

Avoiding typical restaurant or fast-food grease may seem obvious, but according to Harvard Health Publishing, even more important than that is the ability to control portion sizes when you pack your own lunch.

Shopping a supermarket's outside aisles ensures that youre getting healthy alternatives like produce, meat, and dairy instead of processed foods. When you move inward, most, if not all, of the products contain unnecessary additives and sugar.

The following steps are recommended by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokesperson, registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) Caroline Susie, a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting added sugars to less than 10% of daily calories for those 2 years and older and to avoid serving foods and beverages with added sugars to children younger than 2.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming fewer than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day and less for children under 14.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting consumption of saturated fat starting at age 2 to less than 10% of calories per day and replacing it with healthier unsaturated fats.

As we begin March and the start of National Nutrition Month, make the decision to press restart and make the commitment to restart and/or continue those healthy lifestyle practices that can lead to a better quality of life through taking proactive decisions to access evidence-based knowledge and following best practices.

Thanks to the National Today website as well as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics website for the content provided in this column.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025 report can be accessed at

health.gov.

Representing more than 112,000 credentialed nutrition and dietetics practitioners, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.

Go to the Academys website for a good overall resource base ateatright.org.

Mark A. Mahoney, Ph.D. has been a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist for over 35 years and completed graduate studies in Nutrition & Public Health at Columbia University. He can be reached at marqos69@hotmail.com.

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Five simple ways to eat healthier during nutrition month and beyond - Tallahassee Democrat