FDA redefines what foods can be labeled as ‘healthy’
Foods will be required to contain certain ingredients and be under specific limits for added sugar, saturated fat and sodium to be marketed as “healthy.”
Scripps News
- March is National Nutrition Month, a time to focus on healthy eating habits.
- This year’s theme is “Food Connects Us”, emphasizing the social and cultural aspects of food.
- Tips for connecting with food include learning about local resources, visiting farmers markets and preparing meals at home.
Hang in there, spring is just around the corner. I tell myself that each time I bundle up for the frigid temperatures and navigate the ice and snow. Give me warmer days, flowers and garden vegetables.
As we welcome March for the change of season, it’s time to celebrate National Nutrition Month. This is a yearly campaign to increase awareness about making informed food choices, as well as developing healthful eating habits and physical activity habits.
In conjunction with National Nutrition Month, the Ohio State University Extension Live Healthy Live Well team will offer a spring webinar series “Living Well: The Plate and Beyond.” The series will focus on nutrition and healthy eating and is scheduled noon-12:30 p.m. Wednesdays, March 5, 12, 19 and 26.
Topics will be:
- March 5 – Nourish and Flourish: What You Eat Matters
- March 12 – Culinary Connections: Food, Family and Friends”
- March 19 – When In Rome: A Guide to Eating on Vacation
- March 26 – Eating Well at Every Stage of Life
Register for one or more of the free webinars at https://go.osu.edu/lhlwwebinars.
Webinar theme is Food Connects Us
The webinar series will follow the theme of National Nutrition Month − Food Connects Us. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics offers this information about its theme for the month.
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 are sourced. What’s more, health, memories, traditions, seasons and access can all impact our relationship with food.
Among the variety of ways to connect with food are to prepare your own meals and snacks and learning about how the ingredients you eat are grown and raised.
Here are some additional tips for connecting with food:
- When purchasing food from a store, use a grocery list and pay attention to sales. When food is less processed, it’s often more affordable.
- Learn about resources in your community that offer access to healthy foods, such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program SNAP), Women Infants and Children (WIC), and food banks.
- Visit a famers’ market to ask about how your food was grown or raised or consider starting a home or community garden to get hands-on experience with the growing process. Whether you have a health condition that requires that you eat a certain way, or you just want to make change to how you eat, preparing your own meals makes it easier to control the ingredients and their amounts. It’s also a chance for children and teenagers to interact with the food they eat and build healthy eating habits.
Food connects us to health. Following a healthy diet pattern rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and dairy or fortified dairy alternatives can prevent chronic disease and promote good health.
Consider connecting with a nutrition expert or visiting MyPlate to learn how to better meet nutrition needs across the lifespan. MyPlate is a visual guide from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that helps people make healthy food choices.
The Start Simple with MyPlate app is a free tool you can use to set personalized health eating goals and track your progress toward those goals. If you want to receive personalized nutrition information to meet your health goals, ask your primary care provider for a referral to a registered dietitian nutritionist.
Laurie Sidle is an Ohio State University Extension Family and Consumer Sciences and 4-H program assistant and may be reached at 330-264-8722 or [email protected].
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