FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- Taste tops nutrition as the main reason one food is purchased over another, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
So, AND has chosen, "Enjoy the Taste of Eating Right," as March's 2014 National Nutrition Month theme.
In observance of NNM, the General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital's Nutrition Care Division is hosting the following specific activities to emphasize this year's theme and encourage healthy lifestyle changes.
• On March 3, the NCD set up an interactive booth in the hospital lobby with the topic, "Healthy meals." This booth featured tips for creating healthy meals for your family.
• March 5: The NCD hosted interactive physical activities in the hospital dining facility from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. A one-arm pushup contest provided a strength activity, and a dance floor and music provided cardio exercise.
• March 7: Each Friday (March 7, 14, 21, and 28), the NCD is scheduled to host a "Walking Club" from noon to 12:30 p.m., which will meet at the NCD, located at the north end of the hospital dining facility.
• March 10: An interactive booth is slated for the hospital lobby with the topic, "Healthy Eating on a Budget" from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• March 12: An interactive booth is slated for the hospital dining facility with the topic, "Ask the RD" from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This booth will feature body fat analysis, games and RDs (Registered Dietitians) to answer nutrition questions.
• March 17: An interactive booth is slated for the hospital lobby with the topic, "Healthy Substitutions" from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to explain and show how to make healthy recipe substitutions. Free recipes and treats will be available for sample.
• March 20: An interactive cooking demo and mini food show, sponsored by a dining facility contractor, is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the hospital dining facility.
• March 24: An interactive booth is slated for the hospital lobby with the topic, "Calorie Burn" from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This booth will feature a calorie burn game and tips for healthy weight loss.
• March 26: An interactive booth is slated for the hospital dining facility with the topic, "Supplement Safety" from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This booth will feature performance nutrition and supplement safety information.
• March 29: The Community Health Resource Center will join the NCD to host the interactive "5-A-Day Hero 5k event" with stations along the course focused on healthy eating and physical activity. The event is slated to start in the PX parking lot and proceed through the paved jogging trail that winds around between the PX and the bowling alley from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Families are encouraged to attend.
All events are open to family members, military members, retirees and government service employees.
While social, emotional and health factors also play a role, the foods people enjoy are likely the ones they eat most.
This year's key messages for NNM focus on how to combine taste and nutrition to create healthy meals that follow the dietary guidelines recommendations.
The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.
The NNM is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
For more information, contact the NCD at (573) 596-9125.
(Editor's note: Sherry Neal is a registered dietitian, licensed dietitian, and chief of Clinical Dietetics at the General Leonard Wood Army Community Hospital Nutrition Care Division)
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