With spring right around the corner, March is a month that sparks interest for spring cleaning and maybe even spring cleaning one’s dietary routine. It also happens to be National Nutrition Month! We’re dedicating today’s blog post to learn more about National Nutrition Month, diving into the benefits of adding more plants to your diet, and I’m sharing a few better-for-you-swaps to celebrate the month of nutrition!

Before we jump into today’s content, I also want to quickly introduce myself! My name is Megan Roosevelt and I am a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, mom of two, the founder of HealthyGroceryGirl.com and I am honored to be contributing a guest blog post for Purecane™. My passion is sharing simple, healthy recipes and natural living tips that the whole family can enjoy.

What Is National Nutrition Month?

This is a campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to help children, students, and adults learn more about how to make informed food choices to live a healthier life. Each week of the month focuses on a different aspect of healthy eating. Week one is all about eating a variety of nutritious foods each day. Week two is working on planning your meals each week. Week three teaches you how to gain the skills to create tasty and healthy meals. And finally, week four focuses on consulting with a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) to help with your unique and individual needs.

Bringing National Nutrition Month from the school into the home is a great way to implement these healthy eating habits. This can begin by adding more plant-based foods into your weekly meals.

Benefits of a Plant-Based Diet

Plant-based foods include: fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole-grains and legumes. Plant-based foods are extremely beneficial to your health because they provide your body with a range of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients, protein, fiber and healthy fats. All of these nutrients play a role in improving your digestion, hormonal health, skin health, brain health, heart health and may reduce inflammation as well as reduce your risk for chronic disease.

National Nutrition Month is the perfect time to get the whole family involved in adding more plant-based foods to the menu! For example, have the kids pick out a new fruit or vegetable to try throughout the week or kick off date night with cooking a new plant-based recipe together with your partner!

To make these changes even easier, we have some simple better for you plant-swaps below!

5 Better For You Plant-Based Swaps

1. Sweetener Swap!

Try a Purecane™ packet instead of artificial zero-calorie sweeteners such as sucralose or aspartame.

Purecane™ is an all-natural sweetener made with zero artificial chemicals. It’s free of calories, carbohydrates and the perfect low-glycemic sweetener you are looking for! It also tastes very similar to traditional cane sugar with no artificial aftertaste. Substitute Purecane™ in place of artificial zero-calories sweeteners.

2. Plant-Protein

Beans are an incredible protein source and a great swap for traditional meat. If using beans from the can, make sure you drain and rinse before use. Add the same seasonings you would to traditional meat, to your bean dish for a familiar favorite flavor.

3. Plant Powered Coffee!

Most packaged and dairy-based coffee creamers contain sugar and artificial ingredients such as dipotassium phosphate, polysorbate 60, sodium stearoyl lactylate and natural and artificial flavors, just to name a few. Opt for a plant-based milk instead such as almond, oat or cashew for a creamy, non-dairy substitute! Look for unsweetened to avoid added sugar, and sprinkle in some Purecane™ from the Spoonable Canister instead.

4. Sweet Tooth Swap

Instead of reaching for ice cream or cookies, try a piece of fruit! At first, this may not feel like an equal exchange. However, our taste buds can develop and adapt. With consistent healthier habits, a piece of fruit can really be so incredibly refreshing and just the right amount of sweetness to satisfy a sweet tooth. Fruit also contains fiber, helping you to feel full longer. Love ice-cream? Try banana nice-cream! Blend together frozen bananas, cacao powder, peanut butter and a little bit of unsweetened almond milk for a delicious and satisfying treat!

5. Better Oil Option

Oils such as canola or soybean may be inflammatory on the body and are usually genetically modified (1). Extra virgin olive oil and avocado are great substitutes because they have been shown to actually reduce inflammation in the body and may even reduce blood pressure (2). These oils provide the body with healthier monounsaturated fatty acids.

Let’s Celebrate Nutrition This Month & All Year Long!

I hope today’s blog post has inspired you to add more plant-based foods to your diet, make a few plant-powered swap and tryout Purecane™!

You can stay connected with me on Instagram at @HealthyGroceryGirl or watch our recipe videos at YouTube.com/HealthyGroceryGirl.

Have a happy and healthy day!

Sources:
1: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3187797/
2: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6140086/

Looking to make a few plant-based swaps this month? Let us know what you think on Facebook and Instagram!