Medical Monday Nutrition

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) -March is National Nutrition Month and in honor of that and our up coming Operation Hunger Telethon, we are taking a look at the importance of proper nutrition. Nicole Doughty, a clinical dietitian at Northern Light AR Gould says, “Everyday that you wake up if you have good nutrition, you’re probably going to have a good day and all the energy that we need to be able to do all of your tasks. Good nutrition can also help you to boost your immune system. It makes us grow. So obviously with children, pregnant women, we need good nutrition for everything that we need for our body.”

If you are not eating a healthy diet, Doughty says you can experience a lack of energy, and a loss of concentration and focus. She adds that healthy eating can prevent chronic diseases like heart disease and high blood pressure. “A healthy diet can look very different for different people. The key thing is variety because if you have different types of food then you have different vitamins, different minerals. So, it makes a big difference. If you’re always eating the same things, you’ll get the same nutrients, so you may be lacking in certain nutrients if you don’t have variety. So it makes a big difference. The easiest way to say it is to follow the my plate guidelines, which basically if you look at your plate, have half of your plate with fruits and vegetables, a quarter of your plate a lean protein and the other quarter, a whole grain.” says Doughty.

And she adds it is possible to eat healthy on a tight budget.

“Planning is the key. So, a lot of times people don’t think of looking at the flyers, but there’s always nutritious food on sale. If you look at the flyers you can build your menu around the foods that are on the flyers so you always have fruits and vegetables on sale. You’ll have a lean source of protein on sale. So, try to build your menus around those and you definitely are going to be able to have proper nutrition meals, even if you don’t have a lot of money to spend.” according to Doughty.

Doughty adds that it is never to late to eat healthy and reap those benefits.

Copyright 2022 WAGM. All rights reserved.