Nutrition Helps with Recovery

Make Your Life More Palatable

In this country we are always finding excuses to celebrate something by naming a month in the year The National (Fill-In-The-Blank) Month. There are some truly vital things to remember and celebrate, like the month of March as National Nutrition Month.

Just a few weeks ago many of us made New Year’s resolutions to eat better and exercise more. We all want to lose a little weight, have more energy, or just have an overall better sense of wellness. Let’s be honest, we are probably already flagging a bit on all these well-meaning promises that we made to ourselves. National Nutrition Month has come just in time thanks to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and their continuous efforts to bring an important focus on making the right food and exercise choices. This fresh and timely examination is especially important if you are planning a surgical procedure.

Food and a Healthy Lifestyle

The theme of this year’s campaign is “Go Forward with Food”. It is a holistic approach to every aspect of food in our lives. There is an important focus on the economy of food and how it interplays with our bodies, our activities, our pocketbooks, and our environment. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics say the key messages of the campaign are:

• Eat a balanced diet from all the food groups.
• Check the fridge and pantry to make sure you know what you have and what you need.
• Don’t by more than you can eat over the course of a few days and plan your leftovers.
• Practice portion control and don’t overload your plate.
• Take care of your food in preparation and storage.
• Find fun ways to exercise every day.

Food and our Environment

Over the last one hundred years our common acquisition of food is through markets and restaurants, and the common environment for our food has been the household fridge and pantry. This is relatively new compared to the tens of thousands of years of human existence when virtually everyone grew or personally hunted everything they consumed.

Now we are seeing a very healthy trend as more people are tending personal household gardens. This is a much more up-close and personal angle on the farm to family movement. These trends bode well for a new era of nutrition where more of us are trying to eat whole food that is unprocessed or lightly processed. Clean eating is now a staple for any weight-loss program, for folks that want to establish a healthier lifestyle, and the medical community is giving proper nutrition an even greater level of importance for a patient’s quick and complete recovery from a surgical procedure.

When people are eating cleaner, taking ownership of their own food, practicing healthy eating habits like portion control you begin creating a profound impact on the environment and the community. There will be less waste, greater energy conservation, lower health costs, and greater productivity from a healthier population that cares about their nutrition.

Don’t let National Nutrition Month pass you by without making a few important decisions on how to use the month of March to launch a renewed commitment to creating a healthier lifestyle. If a surgical procedure is in your future don’t hesitate to contact Desert West Surgery for an appointment to talk to a medical professional who can counsel you on the perfect nutritional diet to prepare you for a procedure. Call Desert West Surgery today at 702-383-4040.