This is the month of March. In case you hadn’t looked at a calendar in 11 days. March is national nutrition month. And this year’s theme is eat right with color.
Right about now is the time that New Year’s resolutions have failed and your job, school, and life is weighing down on you. The last thing on your mind is whether or not the color wheel is reflected on your dinner plate.
So how do you get the nutrients you need, and live your life in a non-health obsessed manner?
I decided I’d sit down and have a coffee with the current dietetic intern at Campus Rec, Natalie Overstreet, and see what she had to say about nutrition. Overstreet is a graduate student at SFA, getting her master’s in nutrition and dietetics.
I’ll admit It, I was nervous. I avoid nutritionists like the plague. I’ve never enjoyed having anyone analyze a specified area of my life whether it be personal training, my grades, or nutritional counseling. But as I sat at a table at Tabú sipping coffee waiting for Natalie I took a deep breath. What did I have to lose? She is a struggling student just like me.
As it turns out Overstreet is the first to admit that, “eating right takes a backseat in college.”
March’s theme this year is “eat right with color;” meaning that your meals should incorporate a variety of colors, foods, fruits and vegetables.
The more I talked with Overstreet the more I realized how much we had in common. No I have never counted calories the way she does but we both “try” to make healthier choices because of how our bodies feel when we do.
Eating healthy is a natural high. When you feel healthy it completely transforms your life. The analogy she gave for college students is that “fruits and vegetables are nature’s fast food.” So if you don’t have time to make elaborate meals grab an apple on your way out the door, instead of a doughnut.
When I expressed my feelings toward dietitians Overstreet laughed she will tell you without reservation, “Do you know what I had for dinner last night? A Totino’s Pizza. Really healthy right? But I wanted one… It’s ok to treat yourself.” Nutrition is often seen as restrictive and judgmental, but for Overstreet being a dietitian is all about, “helping people help themselves.”
Diet is extremely cultural, why do we think dieting is so hard? The media! Overstreet is adamant about correcting the media’s false perception of nutrition and health. “Nutrition is not that detailed. You just have to think about it.” Over and over again Overstreet looked me in the eye and said you don’t have to “diet” the way the media tells you. Just think about what you’re putting into your mouth. And be active about making food choices.
The American paradox is that we are over nourished in calories and undernourished in nutrients. Your lifestyle makes all the difference.
So if you sit down and really think about your own lifestyle how hard would it be to tweak certain habits you have? Not a lifestyle overhaul just slowly making the changes you need to live stronger and healthier.
Campus Recreation offers a free nutritional screening, $5 assessments and $10 analysis. You can sign up for any or all of these at the Administration Office inside the Rec Center .
And for quick tips and info about health and nutrition check out the booth set up in the Rec Lobby.
Enjoy National Nutrition month, challenge yourself physically by making a lifestyle change!
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