Most people know the saying of ‘Eat to live, not live to eat’. How does this come into play in the context of nutrition? Is there a way to eat healthy while maintaining the joy and savor of food? This month is National Nutrition Month, and we are promoting healthy living by highlighting healthy consuming habits, and strategies to practice nutrition.
The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics created National Nutrition Month to inform communities about helpful food choices, health-giving physical activity, and eating regimens. Through the 5 weeks of National Nutrition Month, organizers aim to inspire audiences to eat a variety of nutritious foods, see a registered dietician, plan meals and snacks, and create tasty foods at home.
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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that fruits, vegetables, calcium-fortified foods, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products are good options for one’s diet. The CDC also recommends discovering healthier alternatives for frying foods, like grilling or boiling, and eating foods that are low in trans fats, added sugars, sodium, and cholesterol.
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Cultures of Africa, and the African Diaspora, including communities of Afro-Caribbean, Afro-American, or Afro-Asian descent, cultivate dishes that incorporate health-affirming fruits and vegetables that are indigenous to their home country. Let’s explore healthy items that can be incorporated into cultural meals.
The Real Taste of Jamaica by Enid Donaldson, notes that some healthy foods found in Caribbean cuisine include ackee, avocado, breadfruit, callaloo, christophene or shayote, djon djon, palm hearts, plantain, pumpkin, arrowroot, yuca, banana, oranges, soursop, guava, lime, mango, papaya, passion fruit, pomelo/shaddock, sorrel, tamarind, and ugli. Connect with a Caribbean acquaintance or discover Caribbean recipes and make healthy and delicious cultural dishes with these ingredients.
( Noni. Image by Photo by iman santoso from Pexels )
Noni is a fruit that has exceptional health benefits and fights against cancer, fibromyalgia, arthritis, diabetes, asthma, depression, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, HIV, menstrual disorders, acute and chronic pain, obesity, kidney disease, and more. Tahitian Noni Juice: How Much, How Often for What by Dr. Neil Solomon, MD, Ph.D., provides more detail about how to utilize noni for health benefits. Other superfoods to incorporate into a food regimen include papaya, swiss chard, collard greens, turnips, and spinach.
Sedentary lifestyles, or lifestyles with little to no movement, can have negative effects on the body’s health. Movement or exercise and intermittent walking are important add-ons to nutrition because these activities can lessen the risk of chronic disease. The US Department of Health and Public Services reports that adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity per week.
What nutrition advice do you have?
Works Cited
https://www.eatright.org/food/resources/national-nutrition-month
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/healthy_eating/index.html
https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/ethnobotany/food/vegetables.shtml
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/true-superfoods#TOC_TITLE_HDR_2
Nana Ama Addo is a writer, multimedia strategist, film director, and storytelling artist. She graduated with a BA in Africana Studies from the College of Wooster, and has studied at the University of Ghana and Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Nana Ama tells stories of entrepreneurship and Ghana repatriation at her brand, Asiedua’s Imprint ( www.asieduasimprint.com ).
