March is National Nutrition Month! If you made a resolution to get healthier this year or you’re just trying to look your best for the upcoming summer months, then this is going to be the perfect month to get on track. Getting the nutrition you need doesn’t have to be a hard task, nor does it have to cost you a fortune. These ten ideas will allow you to easily get on track with your nutrition while keeping your budget under control. So, get ready to change your health for the better with less stress.
1. Research Vitamins
When many people go vitamin shopping, they take the word of the vitamin company. Unfortunately, not all vitamins are made equal, which can be a big problem. Just purchasing a vitamin because it offers a nutrient you need might be a disservice to your body and your budget. If you know you need a specific supplement for your health, then one of the best things you can do is research the best brand for your needs. A lot of the time companies will offer the nutrient, but do not offer the best absorption option. This can mean you’re still not going to get exactly what you need. Often, if people don’t see results, then they will stop using the supplement, which means the money they spent on it is wasted. So, do your research so you don’t have to worry about this. You should also skip gummy vitamins whenever possible. They might taste great, but some have more nutrients than needed and they’re terrible for your dental hygiene.
2. Understand Portions
Another great way to help your nutrition is to learn all about portions. If you are looking to get more out of your diet, then portion size is an absolute must. You should understand that every food group has its own portion size and if you want to get the most out of every meal you should follow the guidelines. Too many carbs on your plate can lead to weight gain. Even too much protein can harm your diet. So, rather than eating how you please, you should get portioning tools. These are sold in many major retail stores and will allow you to easily get the most of your meal.
3. Eat the Rainbow
If you want to max out the nutrients in each meal, the best thing you can do is eat the rainbow. Rather than keeping your meals boring and monochrome, try to add in a bit of color wherever you possibly can. This might not be incredibly easy with colors like blue and purple, but you should be able to represent greens, reds, and yellows with ease. Even if you can’t get the colors in every meal then you should try to get in one of each color every single day. Before you know it, you will feel better than ever and will have a more adventurous outlook when it comes to your meal plans.
4. Fruits and Veggies First
One of the best rules you can put in place for yourself is fruit and vegetables first. When you make your plate, you should also put the fruit and vegetable options on the plate first. These options should fill up at least half of the plate as well, but you can also add more if you like. When you eat, you should eat your fruit and vegetable options first too. This will allow you to get the most important nutrients first. This is also better for your digestion, so you will feel better eating this way too.
5. Drink Water
You might not believe it but drinking water can actually help with your nutrition as well. However, keeping your body hydrated with water is one of the best ways to improve your nutrition. First of all, having water will allow you to easily prevent yourself from overeating, which is a great way to make you body feel better. The water can help your body absorb the nutrients you are taking in too. This will allow your body to make your diet truly flourish so you can truly maintain a nutritious diet without falling for the temptation to cheat on your diet due to unhealthy cravings.
6. Read the Labels
Nutrition labels are available to help you understand exactly what you will be consuming with a product. However, reading labels isn’t exactly the easiest task in the world. There are percentages, words that aren’t simple to pronounce, and so much more. So, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to take some time to figure out how to read labels. This will allow you to check the product for allergens, understand when something has too much sodium, sugar, fats, and so on, or if it is largely made with ingredients that will harm your body. It might take some time to figure out the labels, but there are guides to help you out. This can allow you to have more power over your health while helping you to learn about nutrition.
7. Meatless Monday
Believe it or not, eating less meat isn’t going to do you any harm. In fact, it might do you a little good. If you’re looking to cut down on meat consumption, then you might consider looking into a few plant-based meals. There are plenty of great recipes to choose from that will allow you to easily create delicious and nutritious meals in no time. If you’re struggling with cutting down on meat, then you might start by considering working Meatless Monday into your routine. This will guarantee one day of no meat so you can adjust to plant-based meals. Before you know it, you might actually enjoy the plant-based meals over your meat-heavy meals, which will inspire you to try even more plant-based options.
8. Keep Healthy Snacks Handy
One of the easiest ways to keep your body on track is to keep healthy snacks handy. More often than not, it is easy to grab a convenient snack when you’re feeling hungry. Unfortunately, these snacks are usually terrible for you and offer nothing regarding nutrition. Keeping snacks on hand that are actually healthy will allow you to make better choices every time you want to eat something new. Pre-cutting fruits and veggies, making nut mixes, and other simple options will help keep you on track. There are many recipes online if you’d like to try out something new, too.
9. Cook at Home
Another way to make the right choice for your nutrition is to choose to cook from home. Creating food from scratch will give you the power to handle your nutritional needs without having to worry about hidden ingredients. There are so many simple options to choose from there too, which will allow you to easily find options that fit in well with your time and budget. If you don’t like doing all the work of grocery shopping and choosing recipes, then there are lots of meal kits that can save you time and money.
10. Go Frozen
A lot of people will go for canned goods thinking they are doing right by their bodies. Although you do get nutrients from the fruits and vegetables that you eat from cans, they aren’t quite what you would get from a fresh vegetable. Even frozen vegetables will hold more nutrients for your body to absorb. So, instead of keeping stocked up with cans, you might consider purchasing from the freezer section or purchasing in bulk and freezing your own fruits and vegetables. This will help your body gain so much more from your meals.
Your nutrition is an important part of your health, so don’t let this National Nutrition Month pass you by without making some changes to improve on your health. These options are a great way to keep your health in check on a budget, so you can feel like a nutritional guru before March comes and goes.
