Happy National Nutrition Month! You may be wondering,why does nutrition get a whole month of celebration? ...I think it's because we all share a love for food on some level! National Nutrition Month actually began in 1973, but at that time it was National Nutrition Week. It didn't become a month long celebration until 1980. There even used to be a mascot for National Nutrition Month! Nutribird - With a lettuce body and a carrot nose, he fought for vegetables at all meals and snacks! He was also a tad creepy looking and was soon put into the compost pile.
Every year the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics chooses a new theme for their favorite month of the year. Their website is even based off of their 1992 theme, "Eat Right America." This year they have chosen, "Savor the Flavor of Eating Right."
What does savor the flavor mean to me? Indulging in all of our senses to make our meals more healthy and satisfying. Michelle May, author and specialist on Mindful Eating, talks about the importance of a "pause" before you start eating. A time to set an intention for your meal, to let other thoughts float away and give respect to the meal before you. A time to appreciate the fuel that you are about to provide your body.
If you think about it, we often take this pause with various other activities during our day. Before we go to bed we usually have a ritual like brushing our teeth, saying a prayer, taking "pause" before we fall asleep. Before we workout we warm up and set the intention of what we hope to accomplish. Before work, we take a drive and think about all the things on our to do list and how we plan to check off all of those items during our day.
The intention we set may not always follow through, but it was there, to help guide us and give us time to think about that next step.
When we sit down to eat however, we often forget this pause. We go from preparation of the meal right to putting the food in our mouth. We order food through the drive thru window and eat it while we drive to our next task. We forget to take that time to stop and think. Think about how we are feeling, why we are hungry, if we are even hungry at all. What we are hoping to get from this meal - is it emotional or physical hunger? Are we craving something? Will this meal provide adequate nutrition for what our body needs to complete the tasks ahead?
So this month let's put the focus back into this pause. Take a moment before your meals and set the intent to Savor the Flavor.
Follow me on Facebook during the month of March for new recipes every day that will help you to Savor the Flavor and Eat Right!
