National Nutrition Month (NNM) is celebrated every year during the month of March. It is a nutrition education campaign that focuses on the importance of providing science-based nutrition information to help people with making healthy lifestyle changes. It was created and promoted by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics starting in 1973, originally in the form of National Nutrition Week.
Every year, a theme is chosen for NNM. Recent past themes have included, “Go Further with Food”, “Put Your Best Fork Forward”, “Bite Into a Healthy Lifestyle”, and “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right”. The theme this year is a simple one – National Nutrition Month. This year’s focus is back to the core purpose of NNM, which is “to increase the public’s awareness of the importance of good nutrition and position registered dietitian nutritionists as the authorities in nutrition.” The key messages of the 2019 NNM theme are:
- Discover the benefits of a healthy eating style.
- Choose foods and drinks that are good for your health.
- Include a variety of healthful foods from all of the food groups on a regular basis.
- Select healthier options when eating away from home.
- Be mindful of portion sizes. Eat and drink the amount that’s right for you, as MyPlate encourages us to do.
- Keep it simple. Eating right doesn’t have to be complicated.
- Make food safety part of your everyday routine.
- Help to reduce food waste by considering the foods you have on hand before buying more at the store.
- Find activities that you enjoy and be physically active most days of the week.
- Consult the nutrition experts. Registered Dietitian Nutritionists can provide sound, easy-to-follow personalized nutrition advice to meet your lifestyle, preferences and health-related needs.
As you can see, there is special attention on making the public aware of a most valuable resource for nutrition information…registered dietitians or registered dietitian nutritionists (RD/RDN).
What is a RD/RDN?
A RD/RDN is considered to be a food and nutrition expert, armed with a wealth of knowledge to share with those interested in making diet or activity changes to enjoy a more healthy lifestyle.
What is the difference between a dietitian and a nutritionist?
In order to become a RD, a person must complete certain requirements, which include obtaining a degree in a health-related field from an accredited college or university, completing a supervised internship, and pass an examination. The title “nutritionist” is not regulated and anyone with basic background knowledge of nutrition might call themselves a nutritionist. Just remember, every dietitian is a nutritionist, but not every nutritionist is a dietitian.
As part of NNM, we celebrate our RD/RDNs on National RD/RDN Day, which is always the second Wednesday of March. And did you know that CHAS has several dietitians on staff? We are armed and ready to help come alongside you to help you to achieve your health and wellness goals.
