National Nutrition Month

National Nutrition Month!

March is National Nutrition Month... we know it's now the end of March, but you should never stop focusing on nutrition and food!

EVERYTHING YOU EAT AND DRINK MATTERS

Brought to you by: Choose My Plate: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/variety

VARIETY

Choose a variety of foods and beverages from each food group to build healthy eating styles. Include choices from all the MyPlate food groups to meet your calorie and nutrient needs when planning or preparing meals and snacks.

FOOD GROUPS

Fruits

Focus on whole fruits. Whole fruits include fresh, frozen, dried, and canned options. Choose whole fruits more often than 100% fruit juice.

• All About the Fruits Group
• Nutrients and Health Benefits
• Tips to Help You Eat Fruits

Vegetables

Vary your veggies. Vegetables are divided into five subgroups and include dark-green vegetables, red and orange vegetables, legumes (beans and peas), starchy vegetables, and other vegetables. Choose vegetables from all subgroups.

• All About the Vegetable Group
• Nutrients and Health Benefits
• Tips to Help You Eat Vegetables

Grains

Make half your grains whole grains. Grains include whole grains and refined, enriched grains. Choose whole grains more often.

• All About the Grains Group
• Nutrients and Health Benefits
• Tips to Help You Eat Grains

Protein Foods

Vary your protein routine. Protein foods include both animal (seafood, meat, poultry, and eggs) and plant sources (nuts, beans and peas*, seeds, and soy products). Choose a variety of lean protein foods from both plant and animal sources.

• All About the Protein Foods Group
• Nutrients and Health Benefits
• Tips to Help You Eat Protein Foods

*Note: Beans and peas are also part of the Vegetable Group.

Dairy

Move to low-fat or fat-free milk and yogurt. Dairy includes milk, yogurt, cheese, and calcium-fortified soy beverages (soymilk). Choose fat-free (skim) and low fat (1%) dairy foods.

• All About the Dairy Group
• Nutrients and Health Benefits
• Tips to Help You Eat Dairy

OILS

Oils are part of healthy eating styles because they provide nutrients for the body, like fatty acids and vitamin E. They also enhance the flavor of your food. Some oils are eaten as a natural part of the food such as in nuts, olives, avocados, and seafood. Other oils are refined and added to a food during processing or preparation such as soybean, canola, and safflower oils. Choose the right amount of oil to stay within your daily calorie needs.