National Nutrition Month started 50 years ago in 1973 as an annual campaign to learn about informed food choices and create helpful physical-activity habits. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics sponsors National Nutrition Month every year. The theme for 2023 is “Fuel for the Future.” At AFSPA, our theme ties directly into National Nutrition Month; “Physical health leads to better mental wellness – a link to a better you.” AFSPA wants the best for its members, and leading a healthy lifestyle starts with the basics. What you feed your body daily dramatically affects your overall health.

In honor of National Nutrition Month, we will be diving into how you can lead a healthy lifestyle no matter how busy you are or how good of a cook you are. There are multiple ways to ensure you are taking the proper steps to eat healthily.

Meal Prepping

Meal prepping is a great way to ensure you eat healthy, saving money and time throughout the week. If you aren’t familiar with meal prepping, it is creating meals days in advance with correct portion sizes. By making meals in advance, you’re helping your future self by always having a meal ready when needed. Without meal prepping, you might find yourself stopping at a drive-through to save time or avoid the anguish of figuring out what to cook when you’ve had a long day.

Meal prepping can be easy if you start with a plan. Pick a day of the week that isn’t usually busy. On that day, choose recipes that fit your needs. Are you looking to incorporate more fruits and veggies? Or are you looking to eat fewer carbs? Meal prepping allows you to choose what you eat. Once you’ve chosen your recipes, create a grocery list to ensure you only buy what you need. Before heading to the store, make sure you don’t already have some ingredients at home. This helps cut down on food waste and spending more money. Once you have your ingredients, you can start prepping your meals. Creating these meals together is a great weekly activity to spend with your family or friends.

Meal Subscription Services

Prepping and planning a meal each night after you have worked a 9-5 or spent all day out of the house running errands, can be challenging. There are multiple meal subscription services available. Most meal subscriptions allow the consumer to pick specific meals for a week. Meal kits eliminate prep and typically take around 30 minutes to cook. Ingredients are measured out, and recipe cards provide step-by-step instructions. Some features of different meal kits include:

• Vegetarian, farm-to-table, organic, or diet specific
• Budget-friendly
• Different serving sizes for large families or one person
• Various levels of difficulty or time it takes to complete the meal

Meal kits are an excellent option for everyone. Meal subscription services offer everyone incredible access to high-quality ingredients regardless of accessibility. Shopping at grocery stores for meals can be overwhelming, expensive, and not always accessible to everyone.

Wellness Programs

If you aren’t ready for meal prepping or meal subscription services, check out the Nutrition and Weight Management Wellness Program that the Foreign Service Benefit Plan offers members. To help with nutrition, FSBP provides the following:

• Digital Coach Program: This program will create a personalized plan for you. Completing this program can earn you up to $150 in Healthy Action Incentives.
• Lifestyle and Condition Health Coaching: This program uses a holistic approach to help you make behavioral and lifestyle changes to achieve your goals. Completing this program can earn you up to $150 in Healthy Action Incentives.
• Mediterranean Wellness Program: An 8-week interactive online program with access to a registered dietician.
• Cleveland Clinic: The Cleveland Clinic Health Library offers accurate health information from reliable sources. The library provides physician-hosted online chats, free e-newsletters, and more.

Start working on creating fuel for a future you. Make the change in your eating habits today to make way for a healthier and happier you. Whether you want to try meal prepping or want to try the programs AFSPA offers, either choice will pave the way for a healthier future for you!