March is National Nutrition Month. I didn't even know such an observation existed until I saw this written on the bottom of one of those freebie calendars I received from work.

"Huh," I thought, "A month devoted to nutrition sounds good, especially if it could help folks learn about healthy food choices and portions and motivate them to apply what they've learned."

Then I thought, "Well, but how does all this get carried out anyway? What exactly is on the agenda for National Nutrition Month?"

After a quick Google search, I learned that National Nutrition Month, or NNM, was started by the American Dietetic Association (ADA) with the purpose of focusing:

attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

The ADA's website lists articles and ideas with the purpose of educating individuals about proper nutrition. Families, schools, businesses, and other organizations would need to take it upon themselves to employ some of the NNM suggestions. "Ah, hah!" I thought, "That is the bottom line."

Actually, I could take this a step further. Improving one's diet and securing lifelong healthy eating habits ultimately rests with the individual. Sure, someone can enforce a healthy diet on an individual, but if that individual doesn't want to change, he/she is bound to "rebel" in time.

You have to want to change in order for that change to take place.

So, I'm on the fence with how I feel about NNM. As I previously mentioned, I think this is a worthwhile observance if it will educate and motivate individuals to adopt healthier eating habits. Yet at the same time, I feel a focus on proper nutrition should be a year-round type of deal. Why do we need a one-month campaign for it? Does it really make a difference? Maybe it does, but shouldn't we (ideally) be making an effort to eat healthy every day of our lives?

The ADA website does offer some fun and useful ideas for improving nutrition; for instance:

• Invite your kids to choose foods that match the colors of the rainbow.
• Sponsor a food drive, giving donations to a homeless shelter.
• Have an ethnic food day at school or at work.
• Use household items to show how big portions are to family members.

So, at the very least, you can check out their site to get your creative juices flowing.

What do you think about a national nutrition month? Is your child's school or your place of work doing anything special? What ideas do you have for improving your family's eating habits?

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