[bs_row class=”row”][bs_col class=”col-sm-8″]

HELLO, NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTH
By University of Utah Health

Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? This year’s theme encourages you to “Eat Right for Your Lifestyle.” While the sentiment behind this may feel quite simplistic, there’s a lot of valuable advice hidden amongst these five little words. Let’s break it down:

ENJOYABLE 

You are an individual with your own personal food preferences. Instead of feeling as though you should eat certain foods for health promotion, you may find there are several nutritious foods you actually want to eat because of how they taste and make you feel. On the contrary, this also means that you can enjoy less healthy favorites periodically without guilt. Research shows that leaving space for all the foods you enjoy can actually help you learn to savor them in moderation.

NATURAL 

You may be a planner or you may not be. Either way, balanced nutrition is within reach when you learn to incorporate healthier foods that fit naturally into your personal food preferences and meal routine. For example:

• If you like the idea of cooking but lack knowledge, you may find meal subscriptions or a cooking class helpful tools as you get started.
• If you don’t have time to cook regularly, keeping minimally processed convenience foods accessible may make it easier for you to make a healthy choice more often.
• If you are looking for some meaningful motivation, try doing some personal reflection to identify how healthy eating helps you prioritize your personal values. Spoiler! We’ll talk more about this next week.

ACHIEVABLE 

While it’s ideal for nutritious foods to make up the majority of your day-to-day intake, this recognizes the value in making small, consistent changes to reach this overall goal. Taking small steps encourages you to establish healthy eating habits that last a lifetime. You are bound to have a few hiccups along your journey to balanced nutrition. Instead of getting frustrated, explore them with compassion and curiosity to gain insight into what triggered your setback. This will help you navigate difficult situations more easily in the future.[/bs_col][bs_col class=”col-sm-4″][bs_well size=”lg”]

SURVIVING DAYLIGHT SAVING
No one looks forward to the start of daylight saving time. The loss of a single hour of sleep makes everyone grumpy and throws off our internal clocks for what feels like weeks. But how much of an impact does one hour really have on us? Turns out, more than you may realize. “Around the start of daylight savings time there is an increase in motor vehicle accidents, and there is an increase in heart attacks and strokes,” said Kelly Baron, Ph.D., MPH, DBSM, a sleep specialist with University of Utah Health. “It has an impact on the population’s health from this loss of sleep.”

Read the full story here.

SHOULD YOU GO TO THE DOCTOR IF YOU HAVE A COLD?
Should you go to the doctor for the cold? It’s a pretty common question. After all, colds can be miserable and who wouldn’t want to feel better. Find out if a trip to your physician’s office is worth it. Dr. Tom Miller talks about things you can do to make a cold more bearable and if antibiotics can help make you feel better

Listen to the full interview here.

For more expert health news and information, click here.[/bs_well][/bs_col][/bs_row]