Nutrition Month Get The Facts

Here is what other CFFH subscribers are doing to combat fad diets and promote good nutrition messages during National Nutrition Month and the year:

• Feature a special food item in the hospital cafeteria each day of the week to coincide with part of the MyPlate.• The Shoshone-Bannock Tribes Diabetes Project has sponsored a "Brake for Breakfast" where we handed out a fruit with a veggie flavored bagel, lowfat cream cheese, and a bottle of water along with a nutrition facts sheet on the breakfast and a handout on the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. Another activity that we have done is sponsored a free Farmer's Market where grant money was used to purchase fruits and vegetables and allowed community members a bag of assorted produce. The community has responded well to these activities. We have also had display booth set up at the local grocery store, made fruit & veggie kabobs and read the book "Plate full of color" at the local elementary school. Weekly newspaper articles on the importance of eating 5 a day. All have been fun.• I will have a contest in the classroom to see which student presents the worst dietary fad!• Soup's On at Lowes Foods. We are sharing scratch soup recipes and meal solutions using these soups -- to our supermarket customers. Cindy Silver, MS, RD, LDN,Corporate Nutritionist Lowes Foods.• We have an annual community resource expo/fair during March- Nutrition Month. At this event, we are kicking off an 8-week Get Moving program, to promote physical activity to families.• We are going to promote the DASH diet. It is a 'new' diet at our facility.• I developed a Top 5 gifts you can give yourself in 2007 list of products and am focusing on different recipes and ideas each week.• Last year we offered Meatless Mondays with the goal to prepare the meatless recipe each week. This year we are working with our cafeteria and pulling their recipes that are low in sat fat and sodium and having them featured each week in the cafeteria. People can prepare these at home, too.