March is National Nutrition Month and centers on making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. This year’s theme is, “Eat Right, Bite by Bite.” In honor of the campaign and to celebrate the theme, we’ve created a series of videos in which we highlight the small goals and changes you can make while still having a profound effect on your overall health. In our fifth and final installment, Rachel Bunch, RD, Parkview Health, shares several ways to keep dinner on the healthy side when you're running short on time.
Healthy meals that are made from scratch are great, but not everyone has that kind of time. So, let’s explore a few quick options that most people might have in their homes:
- Mindful moderation: Take a frozen pizza, for example, it can easily be prepared and ready in minutes by simply popping it into the oven. Once prepared, try keeping your pizza portion sizes to one maybe two slices. Also, while we don’t recommend the consumption of frozen pizza every night, it can be a great choice in a pinch.
- Keep it fresh: Along with your main dish, try pairing it with a fresh salad that incorporates many of your favorite veggies. Also, make sure you eat the salad first, then move onto your pizza.
- Hydrate with H2O: Choose water as your drink of choice instead of high calorie or sugar-laden beverage options.
- Delicious dessert: Instead of overindulging, try eating fresh fruit as a sweet but healthy treat.
- Family fun: Try to get everyone involved. It’s important to enjoy dinner as a family and have everyone lend a hand in preparing meals when you can.
