National Nutrition Month- Personalize Your Plate

As a Registered Dietitian nutrition is pretty much a year-long thing for me, but each March we celebrate National Nutrition Month with a themed focus. With Spring approaching, I always think March is a great time of year to renew your commitment to good health. With the advent of Spring, we enjoy more daylight hours and become more active as we get outside. This year’s theme, Personalize Your Plate, puts you in the driving seat for finding the meal pattern that speaks to you.

The United States is a country of many cultures. Beyond looking at regional differences such as grits versus oatmeal there are numerous other cultural influences that impact the food choices that we make. I like Mexican foods, but I also really enjoy Mediterranean foods as well. And of course, there are times when all I want is comfort foods like roast beef and mashed potatoes. If I am at a baseball game – I am all in for a hot dog.

So how does this tie into personalizing your plate? The reality is a healthy eating pattern is not a one size fits all proposition. I can tell you that the Mediterranean diet is a great heart healthy choice. Here is the thing – if you are not a fan of the cuisine you are probably not going to follow it. Ultimately, your goal is to personalize your food choices to the ones that you do like and that align with your health objectives.

There are a vast variety of foods within each food group to choose from so your options are limitless. So here is your starting point. Think about the food groups and which foods you like from those groups. Then start mixing and matching foods to get to the meals you actually like and will eat.

Start with fruits and vegetables. Nothing has changed in our recommendation – we still want you to fill half your plate. If you are picky, I have two challenges for you. If for example, you only eat apples and oranges then try a different variety. If you have always been a red delicious or granny smith kind of person – choose a gala or my favorite, a honey crisp. Each variety has different flavors and textures and believe it or not slightly different nutrients. Same goes for changing up the orange variety.

On the vegetable side, I have often found that people do not venture out of their comfort zone because they do not know how to prepare them. The internet can be a great resource. Search for a recipe for a roasted vegetable, steamed or sauteed, and air fried (if you have one). Then prepare the same vegetable all three ways and see which way you like best. Get your whole family involved – it can be a great experiment.

Try different grains. Beyond rice and pasta there are numerous other options. Quinoa and couscous are quick to prepare. Farro, barley, bulgur, and millet are other options. Whole grain choices will provide beneficial fiber to your diet.

Choose lean proteins and vary your choices. This means include not only animal proteins such as beef, pork, poultry, and seafood, but also beans, peas, and lentils as well as eggs. The trick here is to not fry it all the time. Instead, opt to bake, grill, roast or stir fry.

Round out your meal choices with dairy. This can be by choosing milk, yogurt, cheese, or calcium-fortified soy milk. Again, the choice is yours to make.

Keep it simple by using MyPlate (ChooseMyPlate.gov) as the framework for your meals. This means half a plate of fruits and vegetables, one-fourth a plate of grains, and one-fourth a plate of protein. Then plug in the foods you like. An easy example would be grilled chicken (one-fourth of your plate) with a baked potato with shredded cheese (one-fourth of your plate), and steamed broccoli with a half-cup serving of grapes (one half of your plate).

Do not overthink this. At the end of the day, you are simply choosing foods that you like and that are healthy for you and then fitting them on the plate in the right proportions. Now you have a personalized plate.

Grocery stores continue to expand on the variety of food items available. So, the next time you are there take a peek at things not on your list – you may find something you would like to try.

Eating is supposed to be an enjoyable experience. Do not overcomplicate things. Trying to do a major overhaul of your eating habits can be daunting and truthfully most people have a hard time making drastic changes. Pick one or two things that you can improve on – start small and build your way up.

This month take an opportunity to refocus your efforts towards living a healthy lifestyle. Get outside and breathe some fresh air and work on personalizing your plate to achieve your goals on your health journey. Until next time….live healthy!