Updated on 2/10/2023

This March, we are celebrating National Nutrition Month at Center for Discovery. Celebrated annually in March, National Nutrition Month is a time to bring attention to the importance of nourishing our bodies. National Nutrition Month is an annual nutrition education and information campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Below are three ways to celebrate and recognize this important month.

1. Recognize Different Dietary Philosophies

This Nutrition Month, learn and celebrate different dietary philosophies that fight against diet-culture. Some of these include All Foods Fit™ and Intuitive Eating, both which are offered at Center for Discovery.

All Foods Fit™

Nourishing our bodies and having balanced nutrition means being flexible with ourselves. This Nutrition Month, remember the All Foods Fit™ nutrition philosophy, which states that all foods—in moderation and balance, along with variety—have a place in a meal plan. Flexibility is an important aspect of the All Foods Fit philosophy, encouraging us to eat with balance and variety rather than with rigidity and anxiety.

Intuitive Eating

When you quiet the noise and opinions surrounding food and nutrition, your body’s innate wisdom can guide you towards what it needs for nourishment. The foundation of Intuitive Eating is to honor the body’s signals of hunger and fullness, challenging the cycle of chronic food rules. This Nutrition Month, consider the 10 Principals of Intuitive Eating and your unconditional permission to eat what you desire:

  1. Reject diet mentality.
  2. Honor your hunger.
  3. Make peace with food.
  4. Challenge the “food police.”
  5. Feel your fullness.
  6. Discover the satisfaction factor.
  7. Cope with emotions without using food.
  8. Respect the body.
  9. Exercise: Feel the difference.
  10. Honor your health—gentle nutrition.

2. Make Time for All Meals

If you skip meals or put off eating when you are hungry, you’re lowering your ability to move through the day feeling like your best self, and overtime, increasing your likelihood of developing nutritional deficiencies leading to anxiety and depression. This Nutrition Month, get into the habit of nourishing your body by making time to eat all meals of the day. Enjoy yourself and eat what sounds good to you.

3. Celebrate Community

Consider having a meal with a friend, family member or group this month to recognize the way that nourishing our bodies can create community with others and positively impact our mental health. Whether it’s connecting over dinner or grabbing a treat together, food brings people together. Pause, enjoy time with someone, share about your day and fill your body with nutrients over a shared meal. Celebrate the way food creates community and connection.

This Nutrition Month, if you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Center for Discovery.

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