National Nutrition Month: Stay Nourished on a Budget, Eat with the Environment in Mind

March 26, 2024 / Get Well

As we approach the end of National Nutrition Month, the Office of Employee Wellness and Wellbeing (OEWW) encourages the NOVA community to continue to engage in this year’s “Beyond the Table” campaign.

We’ve covered the following topics so far this month:

Let’s keep building NOVA’s Healthy Nutrition recipe collection and contributing to the Nighthawk Nest Food Pantry.

For the final conversation in this collaboration with the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, OEWW focuses on money and global citizenship. The “Beyond the Table” campaign provides useful tips and strategies for staying nourished on any budget and eating with the environment in mind.

Stay Nourished on Any Budget

Improve your skills. By learning cooking, food preparation and meal planning skills, you can identify ways to substitute lower-cost ingredients and use lesser amounts of more expensive ones. For example, beans can be used instead of some or all of the meat that a chili recipe calls for, and less salt can be used in many dishes. Budget-friendly fruits and vegetables can also be incorporated into meals, making them more nutritious. All forms count, too — fresh, frozen, canned or dried.
Cook more. Preparing foods at home allows you to control the ingredients you use, the amount you use and how your meals are made. Need ideas? Check out NOVA’s Healthy Nutrition recipe collection.
Plan your meals. One of the best ways to stay within your budget is to plan your meals and snacks ahead of time. Plan your menu, check what foods you have at home and then use a shopping list for the rest. Shop for sales and buy produce when it’s in season. Look for sales on frozen or canned fruits and vegetables.
Access community resources. Be aware of available resources in your community, such as SNAP, WIC and local food banks. These programs offer food assistance to eligible individuals. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and WIC is the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children.
Practice home food safety. Practicing home food safety helps prevent food waste and offers protection from foodborne illness. Food safety basics include properly washing, separating, cooking and storing foods to reduce the risk of food poisoning. Infants, older adults, people with certain health conditions (like diabetes and cancer), and individuals who are pregnant are at increased risk of foodborne illness. Visit Eatright.org’s guidance on home food safety to learn the steps to take to prepare food safely at home.

Eat with the Environment in Mind
Our food choices can also affect the health of our planet. Consider the following ideas for limiting your eating habits’ impact on the environment:

Take a field trip to a local farm or farmers’ market to learn about how food is grown and harvested.
Grow your own fruits and vegetables. If space is limited, try container gardening on a patio or windowsill, or participate in a community garden.
Add more budget-friendly, high-protein, plant-based foods to your menus. These include beans, lentils and chickpeas.
Find ways to reduce food waste.
Plan carefully to limit leftovers or plan to use leftover ingredients in other meals.

Want more information and to involve your family in the “Beyond the Table” campaign?
Better Kid Care has several on-demand courses that support the main messages in the “Beyond the Table” National Nutrition Month campaign. The courses can be adapted to your needs and watched free on BKC On Demand.

Submitted by:
Dahlia Henry-Tett, Chief Wellness Officer (CWO), employeewellbeing @nvcc .edu