2025 National Nutrition Month

Posted on March 14th, 2025

Food touches everyone! Food connects us to our cultures, our families and our friends. Food is also an experience – think of the fun family meals, parties with friends and holiday events which bring joy and memories. Health, memories, traditions, seasons and access can all impact our relationship with food. While these factors influence the food we eat, the food we eat also affects our health. No matter your age or activity level, making healthful food and drink choices will provide your body with energy now and fuel for the future.

Here are some tips to help us enjoy our food, stay nourished and connected on a budget. When prices of food and supplies go up, buying healthful foods may feel like a stretch. Yet, many healthful foods are filing, cost less overall, and help to manage or reduce your chances of developing chronic diseases.

• Planning is key before you shop in helping one stay focused on choosing foods that are affordable, satisfying and have a higher amount of nutrition
• Eat a variety of foods from all food groups
• Make tasty foods at home – learn or enhance your cooking and meal preparation skills. Try new flavors and add herbs, many of which have medicinal value
• Pay attention to your portion sizes – choose smaller portions to stay within your calorie needs
• When we consume less calories overall, our food choices matter more than ever. To help prevent deficiencies here are seven food groups that help protect you the most:
• Fresh/Raw Vegetables
• Organ Meats and Bone Broth
• Probiotic Foods
• Omega – 3 Foods
• Healthy Fats
• High-Antioxidant Foods
• High-Fiber Foods
• Go further with food and eating right by incorporating practices to reduce food waste:
• Plan meals based on foods you already have on hand, write a list of ingredients you still need, buy only the amount of perishable foods that can be eaten or frozen within a few days.
• Get creative with leftovers – transform meals into soups, salads, or sandwiches by cutting up leftover veggies and cooked meats
• Mater the shelf-life of foods – pay attention to the “use by”, “best by”, etc. dates. Note many times if stored properly the shelf life can be a little longer. Always practice good food safety.
• General practice – don’t risk eating or drinking anything that you suspect has spoiled and eat leftovers within 3 to 4 days (or freeze for up to 3 – 4 months).
• Have fun eating and enjoy the fellowship/fun with family and friends.