15 Mar 2021 --- This year’s National Nutrition Month, celebrated each March by the US Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, revolves around the “Personalize Your Plate” theme. Key messages include consuming foods rich in vitamins and minerals, eating for each life stage and ways to reimagine traditional dishes.
“Nutrition is not a one size fits all. While someone will feel best eating a plant-based diet, another will incorporate animal protein, for example,” Su-Nui Escobar, registered dietitian and national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells NutritionInsight.
She adds that diseases and conditions will also affect the way each person eats. Furthermore, culture and exposure to other cultures can also impact eating habits.
“Nutrition depends on so many factors that it is impossible to expect that one eating style will work for each and every person. It is important to understand that you need your eating style to work for you,” she emphasizes.
Embracing a lifestyle
Escobar acknowledges that it can be much more difficult for someone to personalize their eating habits than simply following a diet.
“Nonetheless, personalizing nutrition is the key to success in the long term. Anyone can follow a diet for a day, but very few can follow a healthy lifestyle for years,” she notes.
Innova Market Insights has also spotlighted the rise of personalization in “Tailored to Fit,” one of its Top Ten Trends for 2021.
The Innova Consumer Survey 2020 shows that 64 percent of global consumers have found more ways to tailor their life and products to their individual style, beliefs and needs.
National Nutrition Month is encouraging US consumers to tweak their food choices to their individual needs.
Eating right for life stages
This month’s focus on Personalize your Plate includes addressing the needs of different age groups – a point also emphasized in the new 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
“What works for you in your twenties won’t necessarily work for you in your fifties. As you age and evolve, so do your health and nutrition needs,” says registered dietitian nutritionist Colleen Tewksbury, a national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
“A registered dietitian nutritionist can translate the recommendations of the dietary guidelines to help people of all ages find the healthful eating plan that works best for them,” Tewksbury continues.
Escobar comments that while there is room for greater improvement in the new framework, they are “great guidelines to follow.”
Highlighting another way to personalize plates, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics also suggests a host of ways that consumers can enjoy their favorite meals while giving them a healthy boost. These include replacing salt with spices, experimenting with whole grains, embracing pulses and enjoying vegetables in different forms.
Last year, National Nutrition Month celebrated an “Eat Right Bite By Bite” theme, which asserted that “every effort counts – no matter how big or small.”
Changes afoot
In addition to the rise of personalization, there have been some other major changes in the nutrition realm over the last few years.
One theme Escobar observes is an increasingly holistic view of nutrition, with people starting to acknowledge all the ways that parts of health can interact, like sleep and weight.
Functional nutrition is developing, and there is a greater emphasis on eating “real” food. Additionally, fat stopped being seen as an “enemy.”
Looking to the next decade, Escobar anticipates that consumers will continue to move away from the concept of diets. “They will also focus more on overall health and well-being and less in eating solely for weight loss.”
She also predicts the role of technology will grow, helping people achieve nutrition and other health goals.
This is already increasingly being seen, with technology providing solutions to everything from allergies to sports nutrition and anxiety.
By Katherine Durrell
