Happy National Nutrition Month 2023

For the past 50 years, National Nutrition Month has been celebrated in March. Each year, a new nutrition-related theme is explored, and this year’s theme is Fuel for the Future, with a focus on sustainable eating and tips to making informed food choices to protect the environment.

As we think about sustainability and our food, here are a few ideas:

• Explore plant-based meals. Reducing our intake of meats and dairy decreases our overall use of natural resources such as water and soil. Exploring plant-based meals includes simply adding more fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and seeds. Incorporating more plant-based meals can be easy by designating a certain night for a meatless meal, substituting plant-based proteins such as beans or lentils for meats and adding an extra serving of fruits or vegetables each day.
• Buy foods in season and shop locally when possible. Fruits and vegetables in season are less expensive, and the profit goes directly to the farmer who grew the foods. Also, shopping locally, such as at the local farmer’s market, reduces costs and the environmental impact of transporting food. This also typically cuts down on the packaging, including plastic used to package the items seen in a typical grocery store setting. Click here for the National Farmers Market Directory to find a farmer’s market near you.
• Start a container or small garden to grow foods at home. Growing food at home is a great way to enjoy the outdoors and reduce the overall cost associated with fresh foods. Begin small by planting the items needed for a small dinner salad – salad greens, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber. These are all easy to grow. Growing a small garden doesn’t require a lot of space and many vegetables can grow in pots on the porch or patio. Herbs can grow in small pots on an indoor windowsill.

In celebration of National Nutrition Month, the Strive Dietitians invite you to Fuel for the Future by choosing to be mindful of the environmental footprint when purchasing food. Also, as we celebrate National Nutrition Month, we highlight our incredible dietitian team and the work they do to help our patients connect to kidney-friendly nutrition. Thank you, RDs, for all you do!

Source: National Nutrition Month and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, https://www.eatright.org/national-nutrition-month-2023.