Celebrate National Nutrition Month this March by embracing the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ 2022 theme: Celebrate a World of Flavors. While we all love our familiar, tried and true recipes, there are many benefits of trying new flavors, recipes, spices, and dishes from around the world. Embracing the food culture of others can help you to learn about your own food culture. Those familiar ingredients can be used in new and different ways that might ‘spice up’ your dishes. You might even discover a new favorite! Many different cuisines offer recipes that can be used in a healthy eating pattern that include a wide variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy products. Check out these tips to help you celebrate other food cultures this month –
· Change up your breakfast routine: Try a smoothie with a new fruit, an omelet with a new vegetable, or even a new grain like bulgur.
· Try to include at least one new dish from another culture each week: Do some research and find a new recipe for you, or your family, to try each week. If you have kids in your household, let them be part of the research and pick out a new recipe together.
· Pick up a new fruit or vegetable that you have never tried before: and try to make it a seasonal one so you save some money!
· Try a new spice or seasoning: If trying a new recipe is intimidating, try adding a new spice or seasoning to familiar recipes. If you regularly eat rice, try adding lime and cilantro for a Latin American inspired dish. Utilizing various spices and seasonings can help us to reduce our sodium intake by providing more flavor!
· Use a spice or seasoning that has been taking up room in your cabinet: We all have spices that have been taking up space in the back of our cabinet. Try to research new recipes that incorporate those spices you don’t regularly use.
Check out eatright.org for recipes from various cuisines including Asian Indian, Chinese, Filipino, Latin American, and Middle Eastern. Try something new this month and ‘Celebrate a World of Flavors!’
