The goal is to promote the farm-to-fork aspect of nutrition, from food production and circulation to navigating grocery stores and farmers' markets — and even home food safety and storage practices.
National Nutrition Month, which occurs every March, is a nutrition education and information campaign supported yearly by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. National Nutrition Month® started in 1973 as National Nutrition Week. Over time, the focus on health and nutrition started to flourish, and in 1980, it became a month-long observance.
Each year, there is a new theme to make learning about healthy eating and physical activity habits well-rounded and touch on many concerns worldwide. The theme for National Nutrition Month® 2024 is "Beyond the Table." The goal is to promote the farm-to-fork aspect of nutrition, from food production and circulation to navigating grocery stores and farmers' markets — and even home food safety and storage practices.
'Beyond the Table'
Could you think of the various ways we eat? Around a dinner table? On the go? Half of our meals are eaten at school or work. You get even more food variety at sporting events, gatherings, and restaurants.
This theme also embraces sustainability: bringing ways to reduce food waste in any environment.
At Cheshire Medical Center, some of our leftover meals are donated to the local shelter to avoid waste. Click here to read about this initiative in our 2020-2021 Report to the Community.
Over the past few years at Cheshire, we have started the month with fresh fruit, bargains in the cafeteria for produce, incorporating more ethnic cuisines, and collecting donations for the Community Kitchen in Keene.
How to get involved
Now that you know a little bit about it, what can you do to participate? Some ways to get involved could include:
- Commit to trying a new fruit or vegetable each week with your family.
- Focus on mindful eating by limiting screen time at meals, including phones, computers, TVs, and other devices.
- Try more meatless meals or incorporate choices such as beans and lentils, versatile plant-based protein sources that work in various dishes.
- Include your family's help with food preparation — a skill for people of all ages.
- Organize a scavenger hunt for food items for a healthy recipe.
- Plant seeds for a vegetable garden.
- Trying new herbs and spices.
- Organize a healthy recipe contest or swap among departments or between first, second, and third shifts.
- Ask your favorite dietitian for a recipe! (Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day is celebrated on the second Wednesday of March.)
Want even MORE ways to celebrate National Nutrition Month®? Visit this page for 50 ways to celebrate! For more info and resources, click here.
Registered dietitians (RDs) understand just how hard achieving nutrition goals can be and are specifically trained to help. If you are struggling with your eating habits, ask your physician for a referral to meet with one of Cheshire’s friendly and knowledgeable outpatient dietitians today!