March is National Nutrition Month

By Melissa Williams, Dietetic Intern at VCUHS

Happy National Nutrition Month! This year’s focus was to enjoy healthy foods. This is very important for all people and especially children to promote good, healthy eating habits. A good tip for enjoying healthy foods is to choose foods using your 5 senses: taste, smell, sight, touch, and hearing.

 

1. Taste – Choose foods that taste good! Use different seasoning such as lemon, herbs, fruits or vegetables.

2. Smell – Cook foods that smell great! Fresh fruits and vegetables also smell great.

3. Sight – Choose foods that are a variety of colors. Fruits and vegetables add color to your plate and are also a great source of nutrients.

4. Touch – Use your hands to prepare foods. This can include tearing salads, peeling corn husks, or even mixing using your hands over a spoon.

5. Hear – Listen as you crunch into an apple or carrot stick, start cooking more at home so you can hear your food sizzling.


Try this recipe! It uses all 5 senses!


Fruit Kabobs with Yogurt Dip

Photo from Repurposed Life

Ingredients & Materials:

• Wooden skewers 
• Banana *
• Strawberries* 
• Green Grapes*
• Pineapple chunks* 
• 1 cup fruit yogurt 
• ½ c fat free whipped topping 

*WIC-approved items

Directions:

1. Cut strawberries, grapes, and bananas into bit size pieces. 
2.  Place pieces of fruit onto skewer, alternating fruits. Stack fruit until the skewer is full and repeat until the fruit is gone. 
3. In mixing bowl combine yogurt and whipped topping.
4. Dip fruits kabobs and enjoy!

*For variation, you can use the fruits you enjoy the most!