Guest Blog Post By: Alex Oppenheimer, RD
March is National Nutrition Month, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to introduce a guest blogger. Alex Oppenheimer just completed her dietetic internship program and passed her exam to become a registered dietitian (yay!). She is currently pursuing a Master of Science degree in Clinical Nutrition at New York University.
Every March, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) celebrates National Nutrition Month®, a month-long celebration of nutrition and an opportunity to help teach people about nutrition. This year’s theme is “Eat Right with Color,” an exploration of the health benefits of a colorful diet. Now, this doesn’t mean colorful snack foods and candies, it means colorful single-ingredient foods like grains, fruits, vegetables and even meats and oils. Since our American diet is typically excessive in meats and oils, we will take this opportunity to focus our attention on the plant-based aspects of this campaign.
Why does color in the diet matter, you may ask?
Fruits and vegetables contain phytochemicals, the compounds responsible for providing foods with color, and the nutrients that make them healthful. There is a vast array of phytochemicals, which may provide benefits such as reducing the risk of cancer or heart disease, promoting vision and a healthy immune system, protecting against aging, and many other studied benefits. When these phytochemicals are lacking in our diet, there can be increased risks of such diseases. Each of these benefits is associated with different phytochemicals (and different colors) which explains the importance of including a variety of colors in your diet. By eating assorted colors of fruits and vegetable throughout the week, you are also including a wide array of nutrients. A diet that only includes green fruits and vegetables is missing out on all the benefits (and flavor) that come from red, orange, yellow, purple and even white produce. Stay tuned, because throughout National Nutrition Month®, we will explore the different colors to include in the diet and the health benefits that come with them. In the mean time, start looking at your plate and noticing the colors you have in your diet, and those you are missing!
March 9th is Registered Dietitian Day…
With nutrition at the forefront in March, the ADA has strategically introduced a day recognizing the nutrition experts, Registered Dietitians (RD). This Wednesday, March 9th is the fourth annual RD Day. The purpose of “RD Day” is to celebrate the commitment and devotion dietitians have to their clients. RD Day is also an opportunity to examine the differences between a RD and nutritionist. RDs have completed academic course work anda dietetic internship program, passed a nationwide examination, and are required to take continuing education credits to maintain their certification. All of these efforts are regulated by the ADA’s Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education and the Commission on Dietetic Registration.
Be sure not to confuse the term “Nutritionist” with Registered Dietitian, as it is not a regulated professional title. Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist, even if they have had no academic training at all. Individuals practicing nutrition without the “RD” credential may provide nutrition counsel that is not based on scientific evidence, whereas RDs are required to provide evidence-based advice. It is for these reasons that it is important to seek out a RD, not just a Nutritionist. (Note: Some dietitians also call themselves a nutritionist, so look for the RD credential to ensure you are receiving care from an accredited nutrition expert).
7 Responses to National Nutrition Month – Eat Right with Color!
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Great blog!! You should start many more. I love all the info provided. I will stay tuned
we are having a quiz bee according to level about nutrition month celebration. i need to have a short quiz in the internet to test myself,but , what are the words i mean the website/s that i could visit??? i am trusting this,html
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