Celebrating National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month, a month dedicated to helping spread knowledge and awareness around food and movement to create healthy habits for life! This year's theme, "celebrate a world of flavors," looks to celebrate flavors from cultures around the world. Create healthy habits that celebrate your culture and find new flavors and tastes from all over the world.  Trying new foods from around the world is a great way to add variety to your diet, learn new ways of cooking, and discover some great flavors you never had before!

 Here are a few ways to incorporate cultural dishes to your meals and snacks. 

•  Za’atar mixed with a little olive oil and spread on whole wheat pita bread, then topped with tomato slices, olives, cucumber, and fresh mint
• Scottish oatmeal or bulgur with low-fat or fat-free milk or fortified soymilk with a topping of fruit and nuts or nut butter
• Vegetable upma, an Asian Indian dish, that can be made with semolina or rice, spiced with ginger and other seasonings
• An omelet filled with fried rice, known as omurice in Japan
•  Munggo gisado is a stew native to the Philippines, featuring mung beans, leafy greens and seafood
•  A spicy lentil and vegetable stew, known as Sambar, originates from India
•  Da pan ji is an example of a Chinese stew made with chicken, potatoes, ginger, and garlic

Part of my culture is Middle Eastern, so here are just a few of my favorite Middle Eastern dishes. 

• Stuffed cabbage leaves, roasted cauliflower, yogurt and fruit
• Baba ganoush with bread
• Baked kibbeh (bulgur, ground meat and pine nuts rolled into balls) served with hummus and raw vegetables
• Grilled fish with lemon, spinach and haloumi salad, and whole grain bread

Let me know some of your favorite cultural dishes in the comments below!

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