5 Ways to Savor the Flavor During Nutrition Month

Many people think eating healthy means munching bland, tasteless meals in the form of naked veggies and flavorless chicken — and always skipping dessert. But nothing could be further from the truth!

There’s no better time than now to amp up the flavor in your diet and your life by learning how delicious healthy eating can be. This is especially true since March is National Nutrition Month, a yearly event started by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to encourage people to develop healthy eating habits. Consider this year’s theme, “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right,” even more motivation.

Here at Henry Ford LiveWell, we plan to offer you suggestions to help you slow down and enjoy nutrient-rich, flavorful foods all month long. In fact, here are some topics you can look forward to in the coming weeks:

• How to create healthy pies

• Which vitamins and minerals your body needs to thrive (and where to get them)

• How to green your St. Patrick’s Day the healthy way

• Which foods can help you boost brainpower

The ultimate goal, of course, is to slow down and enjoy one of life’s greatest pleasures: Good food! Here’s how:

1. Be mindful. How, why, where and when you eat are just as important as what’s on your plate. Create a mindful eating pattern that emphasizes eating nutritious, flavorful foods at a more relaxed pace so that you can really taste the flavors. Take time to see, smell and really taste the food in your mouth rather than shoveling it in before checking off the next “to-do” on your list.

2. Branch out. View National Nutrition Month as an opportunity to expand your food horizons. Commit to trying one new fruit and vegetable each week during National Nutrition Month; include new traditions that encourage mindfulness like saying a prayer before eating; experiment with herbs and spices; or choose a meat-free day each week. You might even explore the world of uncommon lean protein sources (bison, venison and ostrich are good examples).

3. Eat together as a family. In today’s busy world, it can be difficult to gather around the table and share a meal. The key: Make eating together a priority. Not only will you eat more slowly (which helps your digestive system), you’ll also give family members an opportunity to connect and share experiences.

4. Kick flavor up a notch. Cooking with herbs and spices can transform a home cook into an Iron Chef contestant. Not only do herbs and spices kick up the flavor in different dishes, they’re also great stand-ins for salt and fat in cooking, with little or no added calories. A bonus: Even small amounts of spices such as cinnamon, oregano, ginger, and turmeric can provide a healthy dose of antioxidants. But when it comes to herbs, don’t limit yourself to food. Infuse water with mint, basil, even lavender. Give these spice mix recipes and a try today.

5. Start cooking. People often connect flavor with heavy ingredients like butter, whipping cream and bacon fat. Instead of relying on those ingredients, consider flavor-enhancing cooking techniques like steaming, poaching, roasting, baking and broiling. All of them draw out flavor in different ways without adding fat, salt or calories.

National Nutrition Month is the perfect excuse to start on your road to healthy eating. So all month long, make it a goal to:

• Eat more nutrient-rich, flavorful foods and less sugar, fat and sodium

• Build your diet around fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein

• Eat healthy fats (olive oil, nut oils and canola oil) and less animal, or saturated, fats (think: lard, bacon grease and whole fat dairy)

• Develop a relationship with food that allows you to slow down and appreciate life’s flavors more, too