March is National Nutrition Month®
Choosing nutritious foods and getting enough physical activity can make a significant difference in your health. For National Nutrition Month® 2020, in March, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics encourages people to make informed food choices and develop sound eating and physical activity habits.
Each March, the Academy focuses attention on healthful eating through National Nutrition Month®. This year’s theme, Eat Right, Bite by Bite, promotes eating a variety of nutritious foods every day, planning and creating healthful meals each week and the value of consulting a registered dietitian nutritionist.
At Memorial Hospital, Nutrition month kicked off with a FREE Weight Loss Group.
It is not too late to join! While our goal is a core group of people with prediabetes and weight loss risk scores, anyone interested in weight loss is welcome. The group meets on Mondays at 10:30 am at the Chester Public Library and 6:15 pm in the Memorial Hospital cafeteria weekly through June and twice monthly until February. Other free group programs include the Diabetes Conversation Maps® and The Learning Table. The Diabetes Conversation Maps® utilize four maps that highlight different aspects of diabetes to make learning more interactive. The monthly Learning Table highlights various wellness and diabetes topics. Visit the Memorial Hospital Diabetes Resource page for more information. These classes are designed to educate on healthful eating habits and ways to implement these habits into your daily lifestyle.
How can a Dietitian Nutritionist Help?
“Developing healthful eating habits does not mean undertaking drastic lifestyle changes,”
Registered dietitian nutritionist Jerlyn Jones, a national spokesperson for the Academy based in Atlanta, GA states, “registered dietitian nutritionists help their clients develop individualized eating and activity plans with simple steps that can help them meet their health goals. These simple steps are developed to become lifelong habits.” Medical nutrition therapy provided by a registered dietitian nutritionist includes reviewing the client’s eating habits and lifestyle, assessing their nutritional status and creating a personalized nutrition treatment plan.
Registered dietitian nutritionists provide recipe ideas, cooking tips and other healthful advice for everyday issues such as cooking dinner or meal preparation for picky eaters. In addition, many registered dietitian nutritionists provide medical nutrition therapy to help clients manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and hypertension. They often work as part of a medical team to help clients set nutrition goals to improve their health.
Contact Memorial's Dietitian Nutritionist Today
Contact Memorial Hospital’s Melissa Soellner, Registered Dietitian and Nutritionist, Certified Diabetes Educator, and ACSM Clinical Exercise Specialist at 618-826-4581 ext 1170 to schedule a consult or find out more about our free group programs. Ask your provider about a referral during National Nutrition Month®. Many medical plans cover the costs of seeing a registered dietitian nutritionist.
Learn More About National Nutrition Month®
National Nutrition Month® was initiated in 1973 as National Nutrition Week, and it became a month-long observance in 1980 in response to growing interest in nutrition.
The second Wednesday of March is celebrated as Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day to commemorate the dedication of registered dietitian nutritionists as the leading advocates for advancing the nutritional status of Americans and people around the world. This year’s celebration will be March 11.
Follow Memorial Hospital on Facebook and Instagram during March to learn more ways to better your nutrition.
Representing more than 100,000 credentialed practitioners, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. The Academy is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy. Visit the Academy at www.eatright.org.
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