Dr. Madhura Maiya, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at UT Tyler, said it’s important to have nutrient dense foods.
TYLER, Texas — Eating right and making sure that people eat the proper nutritious food is essential for a healthy lifestyle.
Experts say that good nutrition fuels the body. It’s National Nutrition Month, which encourages people to make healthier choices and develop healthy habits.
Dr. Madhura Maiya, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at UT Tyler, said during this week’s Wellness Wednesday it’s important to have nutrient dense foods, such as ones that are high in fiber and those with good water content.
“And when more nutrition comes in, more nutrients comes in. The bad stuff goes down. We see reduced fat intake, we see reduced sugar intake, we see reduced salt intake. So all in all, it becomes more healthy, and it’s always better to have the right combination the right energy and the right nutrients mixed in,” Maiya said.
When it comes to fiber, fresh and local fruits and vegetables are the best way to go. Frozen veggies and fruits are good substitutes when people aren’t able to buy fresh ones.
Maiya said protein is vital and serves several functions, such as muscle growth, antibodies and hormones.
“So quality of protein is very important to get an idea on how we can divide these and how much we should be eating in a day. I think the best way to understand is look at my plate.gov,” she said.
The theme of this year’s National Nutrition Month is food that connects people.
“And it’s more focusing on connecting with our culture, connecting with our friends, with our families, having more home cooked meals. That’s another way that we can bring in nutrition, bring in our packet, nutrition in our meals, making home cooked meals, understanding the ingredients that go in our meals,” Maiya said. “It brings us a control in our food preparation. We get to know what we eat, we understand what we eat and what that does to our health. And that’s that’s a good way to eat better.”