March is National Nutrition Month

Did you know there's an actual National Nutrition Month? I had no clue until recently. I was checking out a few different websites about health and nutrition (I know, shocking to read about, right? You're probably wondering if I do anything else besides look for nutrition info on the web. I do, I promise. I've got a whole blog of stuff that's about Strategic Shopping.)

The theme this year is "Get Your Plate in Shape." I love it. LOVE IT. The whole nutrition education and information campaign was created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. It's focus is to bring attention to the importance of making INFORMED food choices, developing sound eating habits, and developing sound PHYSICAL ACTIVITY habits.

I could not be more excited to share all of my nutritional information with people in any month during the year, but for March, I'll be doing it TWICE as much! I truly feel that NUTRITION is the best medicine out there. When your body has all the rights vitamins, minerals, and "good stuff" in it, your body thanks you in ways you never thought possible. This kind of month is important to me, because growing up, I wasn't taught about nutrition. It took me a LONG time to find it, embrace it, nourish it (no pun intended), and make the changes necessary, to improve my life.

It's important for me to learn it all, soak it all up, then share it with not just you guys, but with everyone I chat with who wants to improve their health ONCE AND FOR ALL. Plus, my kids are slowly learning the difference between good foods, bad foods, and the foods that are kind of "neutral" in the world. They don't do much for you, but they aren't going to hurt you, kind of foods.

It took a long time of doctors NEVER having answers for me. Tests, MRIs, CAT scans, blood tests, and more, were the ways doctors thought they'd find answers for my exhaustion, daily headaches for THREE YEARS, chronic neck, shoulder, back, and hip pain, plus the migraines every month, sometimes a few times per month. I said "that's it, I'll TAKE MY HEALTH into my own hands." It's never too late, even in my 30s, to take charge of my health and say NO to doctors who wanted to keep me on cholesterol medications, tell me I had chronic fatigue syndrome, and that I was depressed.

The answer from the doctors was always "let's pump this young woman full of prescriptions." Instead of teaching me what I should have been doing all along: Eating the right foods, getting good nutrition into my body, so I wouldn't have chronic headaches, migraines, shoulder, neck, back and hip pain, and ALWAYS BEING TIRED.

Well this chick said ENOUGH and never looked back. I never would have had that tenacity without the support of my family, the up-bringing I received from my parents, and the willingness to TRUST my own GUT.

I fully support and LOVE this National Nutrition Month®. It's a fantastic idea and I plan on NEVER STOPPING the entire month of March - bringing all of my education to people who want to embrace nutrition!

Let's "get your plate in shape" my friends! I'm here to help.