March is National Nutrition Month

February 18, 2011 – National Nutrition Month is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored by the American Dietetic Association (ADA).  The campaign focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.  This year’s theme is “Eat Right with Color,” which encourages people to remember to include a colorful and nutritious variety of foods on their plates every day. 

The recently released 2010 Dietary Guidelines provide a great base for getting people to eat right.  The new Guidelines recommend an increased focus on a plant-based diet, combined with lean meats, fish and poultry, and low-fat milk and dairy products.  To help people achieve their dietary goals, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has a website with interactive tools in which people can obtain a personalized eating plan as well as asses eating and physical activity choices called MyPyramid, which includes the child-friendly version MyPyramid for Kids. 

Due to childhood obesity being at epidemic levels, there’s been heightened scrutiny on the link between weight and good health.  But, as relayed in an ADA press release about National Nutrition Month, “weight is not the only measure of good nutrition and health.”  “Quality nutrition requires a total diet approach that goes beyond calorie counting alone, to focus on including those nutrients critical for a child’s healthy growth and development.” 

Growing research has actually linked healthy eating to better academic performance.  And part of the process of helping kids be ready to learn is ensuring that they eat a nutritious breakfast.  National School Breakfast Week will also take place in March (7-11).  The campaign, sponsored by the School Nutrition Association and entitled “School Breakfast Detectives: the Search for Super Energy,” allows students to “clue into” the importance of school breakfast and helps school leaders and other school personnel demonstrate how eating school breakfast sets students up for a busy day at school. 

To learn more about National Nutrition Month, visit the ADA website.  For further information about National School Breakfast Week, click here.  And check out NSBA's "Healthy Eating 101" Packet.

Source:  ADA and SNA websites.