Photo Cred: Freepik

By Kellie Blake, RDN, LD, IFNCP

As integrative providers, we appreciate the powerful impact nutrition has on the overall success of our patients and we often use nutrition as the base of our therapeutic protocols. So, it only makes sense to recognize this powerful therapy on a national scale for an entire month every year. 

In 1973, the American Dietetic Association, now known as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, created the first National Nutrition Week in an attempt to promote awareness about the profession of dietetics, but also as a platform for sharing credible nutrition information with the general public. In 1980, due to the success of this initiative, the House of Delegates recommended expanding the week-long celebration and National Nutrition Month was born.

Each year in March, National Nutrition Month is celebrated with a specific theme. For 2021, “Personalize Your Plate” has been selected and seems appropriate given the growing understanding that nutrition is not one-size-fits-all. An individualized approach to eating is necessary for improving patient compliance and success.

As a registered dietitian, nutrition is front and center in my practice, but all integrative providers can take part in celebrating and promoting the life-changing benefits of personalized, wholesome food choices. During the month of March, incorporate some of the following ideas with your staff and patients to highlight the power of nutrition.

Offerings for Staff

Nutrition Question of the Week

As the leader of the hospital wellness committee in an acute-care psychiatric hospital, I am always searching for ways to keep my employees interested in nutrition. During National Nutrition Month, one of my favorite tools to get employees chatting about nutrition is to send a nutrition question of the week via email. Each staff member has the chance to answer the question and from the correct responses, I randomly select two weekly winners. Each winner receives a prize such as a lunch box, stainless-steel water bottle, kitchen gadget or tool, wholesome snack, piece of home exercise equipment, or healthy cookbook.

When I announce the weekly winners via email, I take the opportunity to provide an explanation of the correct answer and have noticed the employees seem much more excited and inquisitive about nutrition during this time. This activity is not only fun for staff, but has also been a great icebreaker creating nutrition education opportunities. The nutrition question of the week can easily be adapted for those in private practice. Have patients answer the question during their session and hold a drawing at the end of each week in March.

Healthy Recipe Contest

National Nutrition Month is also a great time to offer an employee recipe contest. In my facility, I created a green smoothie contest. Teams of four employees worked together to create a healthy green smoothie recipe based on specific guidelines. Each green smoothie recipe had to include at least one serving of vegetables and no added or artificial sweeteners. I emailed all the recipes to staff for voting and then made the top three recipes for a blind tasting event. Employees were able to cast their vote and the team with the winning recipe won prize packages including a three-month gym membership, water bottle, and insulated lunch bag.

Offerings for Patients

Podcast Interview

While there is no shortage of nutrition information, it is often confusing for our patients to sift through the latest nutrition news. There are contradictory messages and even we, as professionals, sometimes have a difficult time deciphering what we read about nutrition. Patients desire credible, easy-to-understand nutrition tips. Organizing a question-and-answer session with an integrative registered dietitian for a podcast or for your website can be a great way to provide trustworthy nutrition-related guidance. Encourage your patients and listeners to send in their questions and then let the expert weigh in to turn the science of nutrition into practical application.

Cooking Demonstration

Patients love hands-on activities when it comes to nutrition, so organizing an in-person or virtual cooking demonstration is a great way to celebrate National Nutrition Month. When patients learn to cook their own meals, they are better able to improve their quality of life but they are also one step close to creating long-lasting health. Many of my patients are intimidated and overwhelmed by the kitchen. So, I use cooking demonstrations to showcase simple, nutritious recipes that anyone can make from easy-to-find ingredients. During the session, I share helpful nutrition and cooking tips to promote wholesome meal choices and to get the participants excited about learning to cook. Some of my favorite recipes for cooking demonstrations include entrée salads with from-scratch salad dressing, loaded green smoothies, and stir-fry.

Nutrition Package Giveaway

In my practice, patients often express how hesitant they are to give up their favorite foods. But, as integrative providers, we know nutrition-related change can often provide the most immediate relief in many situations. Encourage patients to focus on nutrition by creating a nutrition-package giveaway. Include a basket of healthy kitchen essentials along with your favorite healthy snacks, your go-to healthy cookbook, and a complementary one-on-one nutrition education session.

Some additional National Nutrition Month ideas include highlighting a less well-known food or cultural food tradition on social media for each week of March. Integrative providers can also offer an in-person or virtual lunch-and-learn to discuss a trending nutrition topic, create a weekly email campaign focusing on nutrition education with simple, healthy recipes, or write a weekly nutrition-focused blog. Furthermore, collaborating with an integrative registered dietitian to provide a virtual or in-person grocery store tour is another great way to promote wholesome food choices and help patients feel more comfortable with making food-related decisions.

References

Denny, S. (2006) National Nutrition Month: A Brief History. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. Retrieved from: doi:10.1016/j.jada.2006.01.020 (eatright.org)

Editor’s note: Photo courtesy of Freepik.