Nutrition Month Theme

cooking
Written By Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has announced the theme for National Nutrition Month(R) in March of 2023, Fuel for the Future.

We know it is early, but it is never too early to think about what you want to teach for this critical opportunity month in nutrition education. 

Picking your topic

Topics for nutrition and health professionals to teach nutrition that have always been popular with our readers include Dietary Guidelines, MyPlate, Nutrition Facts Label Reading, Cooking, Meal Planning, Mindful Eating, or combatting fad diets. We often get asked for ideas about what to teach, and often it comes down to the literacy of an audience along with their goals. Do they need to learn about fad diets? Basics? Meal planning? Shopping? Cooking? Eating Out? Fiber and Gut Health? Math and Nutrition? Cravings? Combatting substance abuse? The last two are newer, but we are getting requests for them. The new theme can foster a world of flavor in your backyard or take a journey through healthful ethnic foods.

A dietitian recently asked us how to combat cravings, and we are working on new articles on that topic. There is a book that can help consumers make better choices, and it is called the Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., Psychologist and Professor at Stanford University. It talks about the scientifically proven (research cited in the book) importance of sleep, exercise, and meditation so that people can nurture the part of their brain that helps them practice self-control and willpower to make better choices and stop procrastinating. The science of willpower could be a great topic to weave in for audiences who need help with motivation or cravings. 

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Judy Doherty, MPS, PCII

Judy’s passion for cooking began with helping her grandmother make raisin oatmeal for breakfast. From there, she earned her first food service job at 15, was accepted to the world-famous Culinary Institute of America at 18 (where she graduated second in her class), and went on to the Fachschule Richemont in Switzerland, where she focused on pastry arts and baking. After a decade in food service for Hyatt Hotels, Judy launched Food and Health Communications to focus on flavor and health. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude distinction from Johnson and Wales University with a BS in Culinary Arts, holds a master’s degree in Food Business from the Culinary Institute of America, two art certificates from UC Berkeley Extension, and runs a food photography & motion studio where her love is creating fun recipes and content.

Judy received The Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef II certification, the American Culinary Federation Bronze Medal, Gold Medal, and ACF Chef of the Year. Her enthusiasm for eating nutritiously and deliciously leads her to constantly innovate and use the latest nutritional science and Dietary Guidelines to guide her creativity, from putting new twists on fajitas to adapting Italian brownies to include ingredients like toasted nuts and cooked honey. Judy’s publishing company, Food and Health Communications, is dedicated to her vision that everyone can make food that tastes as good as it is for you.

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