It’s been a short 2 months since our beloved National Nutrition Month! In 2016, dietitians, nutrition professionals, and the anyone else who loves good, healthy food celebrated the month of March by “Savor[ing] the flavor of eating right” We had a fun local eats inspired Facebook contest to win a FitBit!

Asia Egan, our winner developed this delicious couscous salad:
Whole Wheat Mediterranean Couscous
By: Asia Egan

This is one of my favorite go-to recipes. It is quick, delicious, and fresh. This is a wonderful recipe for “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right” as it incorporates colorful vegetables and whole grains for a fun side dish with ease. The use of locally grown grape tomatoes makes all the difference! I was brought up on different Mediterranean foods with my Lebanese roots, and have often enjoyed this dish with family and friends. I also teach a weekly cooking class, and this dish has been such a crowd pleaser. The best part is that it takes only about 10 minutes to prepare.

Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup whole wheat couscous
1 cup halved UTAH GROWN grape tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped, seeded cucumber
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 T lemon zest
2 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Bring water to a boil over high heat. As water boils, stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Allow couscous to stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
2. Transfer fluffed couscous to a large bowl. Add tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and feta cheese. Combine ingredients.
3. Add remaining ingredients of lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt and pepper. Stir to combine all ingredients.
4. Serve and enjoy!

In addition to our recipe contest, here are some of the great photos of how National Nutrition Month was celebrated through the state:

Jordan School District & Katie Bastian, MDA, RDN, CD, SNS

To promote National Nutrition Month®, the Jordan School District held a poster contest in each of their 34 elementary schools with the NNM theme “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right”. The posters were displayed in the cafeteria for the month of March, kitchen staff selected a winner, and the winner received a NNM classroom kit (a healthy snack of apple slices and homemade caramel sauce made by the schools) in addition, the winning poster is displayed on the school district website and Facebook page. Here it is!

here are other posters students made:

Davis School District, Northridge High:

They introduced a healthy cooking competition modeled after the T.V. show “Chopped.” During lunch time, four students made a healthy meal that included a secret ingredient.  The secret ingredient will either be a fruit, vegetable or dairy item. Small samples of the secret ingredient was also available to the entire student body. Many other food items and kitchen equipment were provided. At the end of the allotted time, a panel of judges picked the best recipe based on taste, visual appearance and creativity. The three students will proceed to the next round and so on until one winner is declared. Nutrition information and health benefits was posted about the secret ingredient. The winning recipe will be served for school lunch. “We are hoping this activity will increase participation in school lunch, create a fun and uplifting environment during lunchtime and get students excited about trying new things. Additionally, students will understand the health benefits of fruits, vegetables and dairy.”

Brigham Young University, Student Dietetic Association

Our plan is to have one large event hosted for 5 hours, covering the lunch hour in a high traffic area.  We anticipated reaching 300-400 students during this event in the BYU Wilkinson Center (Student Center).  We had four student committees formed to oversee each booth: grains, fruits & vegetables, dairy, and fitness.  Each booth included a handout, food sample, and a related activity.  The junior and senior classes staffed the booths to reach as many students as possible.  With the “Savor the Flavor of Eating Right” theme, we want to offer our campus sound nutrition advice and easy food tips.  We love providing our students with opportunities to interact with the community and share their excitement for their future careers.

Utah State University Dietetics Student Association

The Utah State University Dietetics Student Association celebrated National Nutrition Month throughout the entire month of March by doing a month long challenge! Each week there were various challenges that each student completed and uploaded on social media. In addition to the month long challenge we promoted nutrition by having an RD panel to invite various RD professionals to come and speak to the prospective students at USU.

Intermountain Healthcare, Central Region

Intermountain Medical Center, Alta View Hospital, Riverton Hospital, The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital, LDS Hospital

For our 2016 NNM celebrations we hosted fairs at each of our five hospitals with a booth during the lunch hours to catch the crowds.  This will include an interactive nutrition wheel game, prizes, some great NNM handouts, recipe ideas, ways to use herbs/spices, nutrition resources, cooking demonstrations/samples of our LiveWell plates, and promotion of RDN services to encourage our employees and general public visitors to Savor the Flavor of Eating Right.  We wanted to inspire our target audience to enjoy nutritious food within their cultural/social preferences, feel empowered to make wise lifestyle choices, and to seek out sound nutrition information from reliable sources, like RDNs.  Throughout the month of March we had blank posters/markers set up at each hospital with a prompt for people to share ways they Savor the Flavor of Eating Right.  We will also published weekly articles about National Nutrition Month in our employee newsletter, written by dietitians in the region.

University of Utah, Student Activities Group

In celebration of National Nutrition Month 2016, the Student Activities Group of the Nutrition Department at the University of Utah brainstormed together on the phrase “savor the flavor”.  The group featured different flavors of popcorn (without salt) at a table outside the student recreation center.  They knew from experience that college and graduate students alike love popcorn, but wanted to create a healthier, flavorful version.  They created and tested two flavors – one savory flavor of garlic, onion, and turmeric powder and the other a sweeter flavor featuring cinnamon, cayenne, and ginger.  They offered samples of the two types of flavored popcorn and gave away bags of popcorn kernels plus a spice packet.

Volunteer Promotion: We want to extend a very special thank you to Marci Woolley!

Marci Woolley is a Registered Dietitian who attended BYU and has worked in community nutrition, child nutrition, and long term care. With the support of her husband and 2 year old son, Marci has donated her time to the following National Nutrition Month® promotions throughout her community:

1. Distributing public service announcements to grocery stores.
2. Sending nutrition questions to the local junior high school, where her husband works, for their “Question of the Day” for students and staff.
3. Promoting National Nutrition Month® at 5 libraries located in Davis County (including bookmarks with nutrition tips, nutrition-related coloring contests, fruit and vegetables challenges, and nutrition handouts).

THANK YOU for all that you are doing, Marci!

Looks like Utah RDs and students promoted “Savor[ing] the flavor of eating right” all over the state! Thanks for all that you do to promote our profession and help others eat well and enjoy it!

UAND Social Media