March is dedicated to encouraging Oklahomans to live healthier
TULSA, OK – [March 17, 2015] – March is National Nutrition Month, and with spring just around the corner, Shape Your Future and the Tulsa County Wellness Partnership encourage Oklahomans to spring into action to become healthier.
Shape Your Future and the Tulsa County Wellness Partnership participate in National Nutrition Month by encouraging Oklahomans to fill half their plates with fruits and vegetables and to get 30 minutes of daily physical activity (and 60 minutes for children).The National Nutrition Month Campaign, sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, occurs every March to encourage us all to “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle” by making informed food choices and getting the right amount of daily physical activity.
“Forming healthy habits is extremely important for children as they grow,” said Dr. Colony Fugate, member of the Tulsa County Wellness Partnership. “As adults, one of the best ways we can encourage our children to form healthy habits that will last is to improve our own health, and enjoy fun and healthy food and activities as a family. Together, we can make the healthy choice the easy choice.”
To help Oklahomans “Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle,” Shape Your Future provides dozens of recipes on its website, ShapeYourFutureOK.com/EatBetter/Recipes. Ranging from healthy snacks to nutritious desserts, egg-cellent breakfast ideas and more, the recipes provide healthy twists on classic recipes…all without sacrificing any flavor. Other recipes include delicious dinner dishes like meat loaf and pasta primavera, or delectable vegetable sides like green beans and baked tomatoes.
Find more information about meal planning on a budget, along with recipe ideas and cost per serving from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) at shapeyourfutureok.com/Home/Resources.
“It is important to focus on small, easy-to-achieve changes,” said Miranda Manning, registered dietician and nutrition coordinator for the Center for the Advancement of Wellness through the Oklahoma State Department of Health. “Many seem to think that to become healthy you must deprive yourself, but in reality, small changes can make a huge difference.”
Some of Shape Your Future’s easy, bite-sized tips to improve you and your family’s health include:
Avoiding oversized portions.
Filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables.
Drinking water instead of sugary drinks.
Eating a variety of foods from all food groups.
Consuming more low-fat (1%) and fat-free dairy products like yogurt, cheese and milk.
Comparing sodium in foods like soup, bread and frozen meals—and choosing the foods with lower numbers.
To learn more about National Nutrition Month, visit www.eatright.org/nnm/. For more nutrition tips and recipes, visit ShapeYourFutureOK.com.
Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust
The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations working towards shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working with local coalitions and initiatives across the state, by cultivating innovative and life-changing research, and by working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public’s health. TSET – Better Lives Through Better Health. To learn more go to: www.tset.ok.gov.
Tulsa County Wellness Partnership
The Tulsa County Wellness Partnership is a sponsored group of the Family Health Coalition and a CX grantee of the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust. TCWP is dedicated to changing policy and environments in Tulsa County to make healthy nutrition and fitness the easy choice in schools, workplaces and communities. TCWP advocates for policies and projects that promote healthy eating and active living. To learn more about local events or how to work toward a healthier school, workplace or community, please contact Daphne Gaulden at 918-595-4039 or dgaulden2@tulsa-health.org.
Shape Your Future
Shape Your Future, a statewide health initiative funded by the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) and the Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH), encourages Oklahomans to eat better, move more and be tobacco free to improve community health. By leading healthy lifestyles, Oklahomans can decrease the number of citizens who fall victim to death and disease while increasing community health, physical activity and quality of life. For more information, go to ShapeYourFutureOK.com.
