National Nutrition Month - Food Connects Us

March is National Nutrition Month,^® which is an annual campaign created in 1973 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. During the month of March, everyone is invited to learn about making informed food choices and developing healthful eating and physical activity habits.

This year's theme is "Food Connects Us." Food is a connecting factor for many of us. Food connects us to our cultures, our families and our friends. Sharing a meal is an opportunity to learn about its preparation, who made it and where the ingredients were sourced. Health, memories, traditions, seasons and access can all impact our relationship with food. While these factors influence the foods we eat, the foods we eat also affect our health.

Food Connects Us

Food is a connecting factor for many of us. Food connects us to our cultures, our families and our friends. Sharing a meal is an opportunity to learn about its preparation, who made it and where the ingredients were sourced. What’s more, health, memories, traditions, seasons and access can all impact our relationship with food. This National Nutrition Month®, learn more about these connections and how the foods you eat impact your health throughout life.

Connect with food.

Explore the Connection Between Food and Culture. Another way to connect with food includes learning about the traditions or history behind what you’re eating. Whether a food is traditional or new to you, learning more about how and why it’s prepared can be a valuable experience. It may help build a connection to the person that prepared it, teach about sustainability, or provide information about how it affects your health. There are a variety of ways to connect with food. These include preparing your own meals and snacks and learning about how the ingredients you eat were grown or raised. Your ability to access food is also essential. Many people have a specific amount of money they’re able to spend on food, which makes planning extra important when trying to eat healthfully.

Here are some tips for connecting with food: 

• When purchasing food from a store, use a grocery list and pay attention to sales. When food is less processed, it’s often more affordable.
• Learn about resources in your community that offer access to healthy foods, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women Infants and Children (WIC), and food banks.
• Visit a farmers’ market to ask about how your food was grown or raised, or consider starting a home or community garden to get hands-on experience with the growing process

Whether you have a health condition that requires you to eat a certain way, or you just want to make changes to how you eat, preparing your own meals makes it easier to control the ingredients and their amounts. It’s also a chance for children and teenagers to interact with the food they eat and build healthy eating habits for life.

Explore the Connection Between Food and Culture.

Another way to connect with food includes learning about the traditions or history behind what you’re eating. Whether a food is traditional or new to you, learning more about how and why it’s prepared can be a valuable experience. It may help build a connection to the person that prepared it, teach about sustainability, or provide information about how it affects your health.

Build the Connection Across All Stages of Life.

While the amount of nutrients we need changes from the time we’re infants until we’re older adults, essential nutrients play a role across the lifecycle. For example: 

• Consuming adequate calcium from a young age helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis, or weak bones, as we age.
• The B vitamin, folate (also known as folic acid), is important for metabolism and is of increased concern for anyone who may become pregnant as it can decrease certain health risks in newborns.
• While protein is often the focus of athletes, older adults also should pay extra attention to this nutrient as loss of muscle mass becomes a concern as we age.