By Angel Bourgoin, PhD, Consultant, JSI

March is National Nutrition Month!

Healthy eating, together with physical activity, is important to leading a healthy lifestyle. Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low- or non-fat dairy, and nuts can also help reduce the risk of many health problems, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

It’s important to remember that healthy eating is not about following a strict diet or depriving yourself of the foods that you love. The fact is that eating is fun! It’s an essential, enjoyable part of life. 

Set yourself up for healthy eating success with 5 simple tips:

1. Try a new healthy recipe. Start off your year with 25 Easy Recipes for Senior Nutrition. Trying out new healthy recipes will help you find nutritious meals and snacks that you enjoy. Keep the recipes you like so that you can develop a collection of healthy meals you’ll look forward to eating.
2. Cook and eat with a friend. What better way to enjoy a meal than with a friend? Cooking at home helps to save money and make sure that you are eating healthy foods. Sharing the meal with good company can make the food taste that much better. If you like to organize events, consider planning a healthy potluck.
3. Find healthy foods that are easy to prepare. Shopping can be difficult for older adults who live alone, have mobility issues, or lack transportation. Stock up on easy-to-grab nutritious snacks that have a long shelf-life like small packages of nuts and dried fruits. Re-sealable bags of frozen pre-cut vegetables and single-serve portions of canned fruit can help you manage serving sizes and minimize waste.
4. Make one change at a time. Healthy eating isn’t a diet fad, it’s a lifestyle. To help make sure you stick to the changes you make, begin by taking small steps, like replacing white bread with whole-grain, or drinking water instead of sweetened beverages.
5. Start today! Whatever your age, good nutrition will help you stay healthy and help you do the things you want to do. It is never too late in the year or in life to eat healthy. Make a healthier eating choice today and keep it up!

If you have healthy eating tips or great healthy recipes, please share them in the comments. We’d love to hear your ideas.