National Nutrition Month® is an annual campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. During the month of March, we encourage you to learn about the various resources we have to help you make informed food choices and develop healthful eating habits.
This year’s theme, “Fuel for the Future,” highlights the importance of fueling our bodies at every age and eating with the environment in mind. Practice gratitude for your body by giving it the fuel it needs with sustainable foods. The Virgin Pulse Nutrition Guide is a wealth of information that allows you to select your eating style to fine tune your nutrition and chart your progress. You can also visit Journeys on Virgin Pulse focused on eating healthy. Journeys® are daily, self-guided courses to help you build healthy habits. Take that first step by starting a Journey today. Virta Health is also here to help support your eating habits for those wanting to reverse diabetes and lose weight. Working with a medical team and health coaches, you’ll make changes to meals that can help you lose weight, reduce your A1c, and even reduce or stop taking medications. There’s no calorie counting, or gym visits needed. Learn more about Virta today and see if you qualify for enrollment.
Although snacks can be a regular and important part of a healthy diet, they can also lead to health problems. What differentiates the two scenarios is one’s snacking behavior: what you snack on, why you snack, frequency of snacking, and how snacks fit into your overall eating plan according to Harvard School of Public Health. Before you take that first bite ask yourself these questions:
1. Why am I hungry?
Do I need a boost of energy because several hours have passed between meals?
Am I eating because of an emotion (bored, stressed, tired, angry, etc.)?
If you are truly hungry, go to the next question. If not, take care of the emotion with an action that supports the need like talking with a friend, watch something funny, take a walk, take 3 deep breaths, list 3 things you are grateful for today.
2. What am I craving?
Crunchy—raw vegetable sticks, nuts, seeds, whole grain crackers, apple
Creamy—cottage cheese, yogurt, hummus, avocado
Sweet—chopped fresh fruit, dark chocolate
Savory/Salty—cube or slice of cheese, roasted chickpeas, handful of nuts, nut butter
3. How much do I need?
Generally, snacks should make up about 150 – 250 calories.
Want to start small with improving your eating habits? We’ve got you covered with this month’s Tiny Habit Survey on Virgin Pulse focusing on acting on a healthy habit that supports eating healthy. When we begin to track and practice these tiny habits, we can reap big rewards.
