New Year, New Mindset: Nutrition That Works For You
Trying to eat the perfect way or achieve a certain meal pattern can be stressful. Especially because there is no perfect way to eat, and there is no specific meal pattern to follow. We are all unique individuals and all bodies work differently. Amanda Escalera-Torres is a graduate in nutrition and dietetics from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, She shares the following tips that can guide you in your nutrition journey to feeling like your most optimal self.
Honor your body’s limits around hunger and fullness. Studies have found that hunger and fullness are impacted by a variety of factors such as, age, gender, genetics, and stress tolerance. This is why it's important to eat in a way that meets your body's needs regardless of how different your plate may look from other people's plates. Research has shown that individuals who are satisfied with their nutrition have overall greater life satisfaction as well. Nutrition that works for you will be nutrition that nourishes you and that you enjoy.
Enjoy your food. Enjoying the foods you eat has health benefits. Research shows that when you enjoy the foods you eat, your digestion process is improved leading to greater absorption of nutrients. Nutrients play an important role in your health. Fruits and vegetables are a great way to get key nutrients. For example, cabbage is a good source of vitamin K. Vitamin K is needed to maintain bone health and for proper blood clotting. Nutrition that works for you will be nutrition that provides adequate vitamins and minerals but that also incorporates these foods in fun and enjoyable ways.
Get creative with fruits & vegetables. Try his simple recipe:
Ricotta Cabbage Rolls can be prepared and ready in 30 minutes or less and is a tasty way to add in vitamin K to your meal!
Ingredients
1 head of cabbage
2 cups marinara sauce
1- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
Drizzle of olive oil
Shredded mozzarella cheese to sprinkle on top
How to:
Preheat oven to 350 F
Peel off cabbage leaves carefully, run through water to clean, and pat them dry
Spread marinara sauce on baking dish
Fill cabbage leaves with ricotta
Roll cabbage leaves gently and place them facing down on baking dish
Add more marinara, drizzle olive oil, and mozzarella cheese on top of rolls
Pop in the oven for 25 mins
Everyone's nutrition journey is different as everyone has different things that will work for them. Getting to know your own body’s needs so you can listen to your hunger and fullness cues will help you make sure you eat enough food. Enjoying the food you eat will help ensure that you are getting the most health benefits out of it and that you can lead an eating pattern that is sustainable for you. Finally, getting creative with fruits and vegetables can provide alternative ways of adding key nutrients into your meals. Nutrition should work for you, not the other way around. Make health this year about feeling like your most optimal self, cheers! For more information on how our registered dietitians can help you, visit our Medical Nutrition Therapy page.
