March 7 — One of the most important aspects of our lives is our health.
Hannah Hamilton, Public Health Nutrition Program Director and Breastfeeding Program Coordinator for the Monroe County Department of Health, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about healthy living.
March is National Nutrition Month.
Hamilton said, “It aims to promote healthful eating and physical activity habits and it’s celebrated every year in the month of March.”
For some, by March our well-intended New Year’s Eve resolutions may have fallen to the wayside.
The theme this month is Fuel for the Future and includes four weekly focus areas.
The first week will focus on eating with the environment in mind.
Hamilton said, “This is really the main sustainability effort that we’re trying to promote here. This involves purchasing foods with minimal packaging. We recommend people to bring their own reusable bags.”
Week two, three and four are quite similar each year.
Week two recommends people seek out a regular dietician.
Hamilton said, “You can ask your doctor to be referred to a dietician and they can really help discuss your nutrient needs for your age and provide personalized nutrition information as well.”
Week three focuses on saving money.
Hamilton said, “Obviously right now grocery store prices are very high. Planning out your meals and snacks, seeing what you have at home before you go to the store to purchase more food. Using grocery store lists and shopping sales.”
There are also community resources available to help cut costs, including WIC and SNAP.
Week four focuses on eating a variety of foods from a variety of food groups.
Hamilton said, “We have a lot of fad diets in our culture these days. We really try to promote trying to eat from all different food groups. And practicing gratitude for your body by giving it the food and the fuel that it needs.”
Shopping for foods in season will not only save money, but help the food taste the best.
Additionally growing your own garden can be an asset.
Hamilton said, “This is something can be something that can be very overwhelming for people. So I like to recommend starting with something easy, like herbs or green onions. Also consider doing a raised garden with a timer irrigation system. I’ve found that this works very, very well. It waters your plants at a certain time every day and it’s a very inexpensive tool that you can find at your local hardware store.”
For more information on WIC and SNAP, call 305-676-3933 or click here: https://www.floridahealth.gov/