National Nutrition Month | Foodfacts.com

March is National Nutrition Month® and since many of our Food Facts.com blog readers might not be aware of this, we thought it would be a great time to shed some light on this annual phenomenon.

National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign that was created by and sponsored each year by the American Dietetic Association (ADA). It is designed to draw attention to the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. National Nutrition Month® also helps to promote nutrition professionals in the public as the most credible source of scientifically based nutrition information and recognizes registered dietitians for their commitment to helping people enjoy healthy lives.

This year’s theme is “Nutrition From the Ground Up.”

You would probably be surprised to know just how long National Nutrition Month® has been around. It began in March 1973 as a week long event, featuring the theme “Invest in Yourself-Buy Nutrition.” It then became a month long observation in 1980 in response to the ever growing public interest in nutrition.

Did you know that the American Dietetic Association once had a mascot named Nutribird, which had a body shaped like a head of lettuce and a carrot beak? It was created in 1977 to help the ADA promote good nutrition during National Nutrition Month®.

Perhaps you remember Nutribird? We don’t, but that was awhile ago and unfortunately, the bird was put to rest shortly after being introduced.

The ADA’s mission is to promote optimal nutrition and well being for all people. With more than 70,000 members, ADA is the world’s largest organization of food and nutrition professionals and membership continues to grow every year. “Registered Dietitian Day” will be celebrated on March 10. This day commemorates the dedication that registered dietitians have as advocates for advancing nutritional status.

This year’s theme, “Nutrition From the Ground Up,” reminds everyone that to focus on eating better you need to start with the basics: Build your nutritional health from the ground up. For help, talk with a registered dietitian. Take advantage of any community based nutrition and physical fitness programs that are sponsored by the nutrition department at your local hospital or independent registered dietitians. You can get wonderful fact based information by reading books and articles written by dietitians. You may catch an ADA media spokesperson discussing current nutrition topics on a TV news show.

For more tips, visit the ADA’s website www.eatright.org and click on “For the Public.” Happy National Nutrition Month®.

–

Image: Clker.com