As I mentioned earlier this year, I’ve committed 2016 to making small monthly changes that will, inevitably, lead to a year of success. With March being National Nutrition Month, I plan to pick one aspect of my current nutrition routine that could use a little “beefing up” and then make it happen. I encourage you to do the same.
It can be anything you desire. Chances are something has been lingering in your brain for a while now. Something like, Ya’ know, we really should eat more fish. Or I need to stop buying conventionally grown produce from the Dirty Dozen list. Sit with it for a minute, and I’m sure the obvious choice will come to you.
For me, this month is all about fun ways of getting more vegetables into our diet. How? Well, in case you haven’t heard, there’s kind of a craze going on these days with vegetable noodles. By that I mean taking fresh veggies like zucchini or sweet potatoes and turning them into noodles. What could be more fun than curly noodles? Right? Right. Plus, this twist on noodles will help us avoid the processed carbs found in packaged noodles.
Here’s the game plan…I invested in a “spiralizer” gadget to make the process easier (because easier means I’ll be more apt to make it happen). I added a couple of the recommended vegetables to our shopping list. And I declared Wednesdays as “Noodle Wednesday” for our weekly meal plan. Let the experimenting begin! I’m thinking this shrimp and zucchini combination will be first on the agenda.
Of course, there could be some resistance from our boys, who are quite fond of the more traditional flour-based noodles. But I’m hoping if we focus on the “fun” aspect of the process, we can build the excitement. After all, how cool is it going to be to scrub up a few sweet potatoes, run them through our groovy new gadget, and end up with a bunch of colorful, cleverly shaped noodles? I’m an optimist; I think it will all work out.
Make sure you use the most flavorful, fresh vegetables for your noodles. This will ensure they don’t impart any bitterness to the dish (yet another reason to use organically raised veggies). Healthy soil imparts more nutrients to food. And more nutrients, particularly minerals, boost flavor.
What’s one change you can bring into your home this National Nutrition Month? One thing at a time can make a big difference in your overall health, just make sure to pick something you’re truly interested in.
If you’re having trouble choosing, SRP has plenty of articles that can help you decide.
Maria Atwood’s “Nutrient Dense Foods: What They Are and Are Not!” explains all sorts of food choices we wrestle with daily. Let this article help you identify your perfect nutritional focus and boost your self-health education at the same time.
Monica Corrado’s “The Dark Side of Bone Broth” will help you determine if bone broth is the proper health-inducing elixir for you, or if maybe meat stock is the better option for where you’re at.
Stephanie Selene Anderson’s infographic “The Seven Deadly Fallacies of the Western Diet” provides a whole list of things to consider adjusting in your current diet. And you can read more about each item on the list in her book Why Your Doctor Offers Nutritional Supplements.
Creative Commons photos by Laura Burns (at top) and Tony Webster (inset)
Paula Widish, author of Trophia: Simple Steps to Everyday Self-Health, is a freelance writer and self-healther. She loves nothing more than sharing tidbits of information she discovers with others. (Actually, she loves her family more than that—and probably bacon too.) Paula has a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Public Relations and is a Certified Professional Life Coach through International Coach Academy.
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