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National Nutrition Month® (NNM) is a nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the American Dietetic Association. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. NNM started as National Nutrition Week back in 1973 and grew into National Nutrition Month® in 1980 due to the public’s growing interest in nutrition.

This year’s NNM theme is “Nutrition from the Ground Up”. This theme promotes the basics of our everyday diets. Eating right doesn’t have to be complicated.

• Healthy eating emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free dairy and include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans and nuts.
• Healthy eating needs to be low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars.
• Choose nutrient dense foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals rather than fat and calories.
• Always read portion sizes on food label. Too much of anything, good or bad, can add up the calories.
• Try not to get “stuck” on the same foods. Eating a variety of fruits and vegetable will help you get all the vitamins and nutrients you need and you may discover a new favorite food.
• Eat three servings of whole grain products every day.
• Try fish, pork or even tofu for dinner, it doesn’t have to be chicken or beef everyday!
• Eat as a family at mealtime.

Don’t forget about being active. Set a goal of 30 minutes everyday to be physically active. Ride your bike around the neighborhood, play catch outside, or if the weather isn’t cooperating, turn the music up in the house and dance around. Your kids will love it and it won’t feel like exercise!

The Murray County WIC office is promoting National Nutrition Month® with different foods for kids to try, new ideas for spending those fruit and vegetable vouchers, and, as always, provide nutrition education for you and your children. Find a local farmers market to try new foods and let your children see for themselves where fruits and vegetables come from and let them actually see nutrition from the ground up. This can also help picky eaters and get children excited about trying something new.

The Murray County WIC also has a farmers market every summer. Contact your local WIC office to see if you or your children qualify for the WIC Program. WIC foods now include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, eggs, low fat milk, cheese, juice and cereal. And, as always, WIC will help you with all your breastfeeding needs for you and your baby!

For more information about NNM, visit www.eatright.org/nnm.
To find a WIC office in the north Georgia area visit www.northgawic.com. For more information on the WIC program and how to find offices throughout Georgia, visit http://health.state.ga.us/wic.
For more information on farmers markets in the area, visit www.georgiaorganics.org or go to www.buyappalachian.org.