The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has announced the theme for National Nutrition Month(R) in March of 2023, Fuel for the Future.

We know it is early, but it is never too early to think about what you want to teach for this critical opportunity month in nutrition education. 

Picking your topic

Topics for nutrition and health professionals to teach nutrition that have always been popular with our readers include Dietary Guidelines, MyPlate, Nutrition Facts Label Reading, Cooking, Meal Planning, Mindful Eating, or combatting fad diets. We often get asked for ideas about what to teach, and often it comes down to the literacy of an audience along with their goals. Do they need to learn about fad diets? Basics? Meal planning? Shopping? Cooking? Eating Out? Fiber and Gut Health? Math and Nutrition? Cravings? Combatting substance abuse? The last two are newer, but we are getting requests for them. The new theme can foster a world of flavor in your backyard or take a journey through healthful ethnic foods.

A dietitian recently asked us how to combat cravings, and we are working on new articles on that topic. There is a book that can help consumers make better choices, and it is called the Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., Psychologist and Professor at Stanford University. It talks about the scientifically proven (research cited in the book) importance of sleep, exercise, and meditation so that people can nurture the part of their brain that helps them practice self-control and willpower to make better choices and stop procrastinating. The science of willpower could be a great topic to weave in for audiences who need help with motivation or cravings.