March is National Nutrition Month
Margo Kerrigan, M.P.H., Area Director
Indian Health Service California Area Office
March is National Nutrition Month, with this year's theme Eat Right! This theme brings attention to the essential role nutrition plays in our lives. This annual month of observation was established in 1973 by the American Dietetic Association. It gives us the opportunity to take a closer look at our eating habits and do our best to Eat Right! This year's theme aligns well with the national Just Move It physical activity campaign, which is working to get one million American Indians and Alaska Natives moving. Shifting our focus to eating right and just moving we can make a positive impact on our lives. This includes making the choice to ask ourselves what we want for our own health.
Investing in prevention and wellness is not only good for our own health, but also for the health of the nation. Consider that in California over 7 billion dollars are attributed to obesity related conditions. 1 While for every $1 spent on prevention, to include nutrition, more than $5 dollars in public and private healthcare expenditures are saved. 2 By shifting from what not to eat because it is bad or the reasons you cannot find time to be physically active, and focusing on eating right and just moving you can support a healthier lifestyle. It is recognized that healthy nutrition and physical activity are fundamental components of preventing chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. The Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) demonstrated that lifestyle, including improved nutrition and physical activity, helped reduce the incidence of diabetes. The DPP showed that people with prediabetes who improved their nutrition and physical activity habits had a 58% reduction in diabetes incidence. But, achieving healthy lifestyles cannot be forced or by taking pills. One approach can start with asking yourself what you want in regard to health and then working to realize it by including eating right and just moving.
For more information on National Nutrition Month visit, http://www.eatright.org
The American Dietetic Association, with more than 68,000 members, is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals. The majority of members are registered dietitians and dietetic technicians. These trained professionals to promote optimal nutrition and well-being for all people.