March is National Nutrition Month

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
March 16, 2017

LAS VEGAS – March is National Nutrition Month, and in keeping with this year’s theme, the Southern Nevada Health District is encouraging everyone to “Put Your Best Fork Forward.” The annual observance was created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and serves as a reminder that every bite counts. In addition to inspiring everyone to take small steps to improve their healthy eating habits — one forkful at a time — this month is also a time to encourage people to incorporate more physical activities into their daily routines.

The Southern Nevada Health District’s Office of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has free tools to do just that, including online programs and apps to help Southern Nevadans make healthy food choices, create healthy recipes, increase physical activity, and more on its Get Healthy Clark County site. Health District apps are available through the Apple Store for iOS devices, from Google Play for Android, or visit the Southern Nevada Health District website, SNHD.info/apps.

The Health District’s Half My Plate app helps users eat a healthy diet as they track how many servings of fruit and vegetables they are consuming each day. The SNAP Cooking app allows users to search for healthy recipes based on ingredients or by recipe name. Users can also bookmark their favorites and create a shopping list. Those using federal SNAP benefits can use a feature that enables them to enter their ZIP code to locate SNAP retailers in their area. The Sugar Savvy Beverage app tells users how much sugar is in the beverages they are consuming, and the Walk Around Nevada and Neon to Nature apps promote physical activity. In addition, the Nutrition Challenge is a free, eight-week online program that helps participants increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables.

A healthy diet and physical activity can help reduce the risks of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic illnesses. In Clark County, 40.2 percent of adults report eating less than one serving of fruit per day, and 19.5 percent report eating less than one serving of vegetables. For moderately active adults, the recommended daily amount of fruit is 2 cups each day and 2 ½ half cups of vegetables.

In addition to healthy eating and physical activity resources, the Office of Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion offers additional online tools, resources, and education about ways to live a healthier lifestyle, tools to prevent and manage diabetes, tobacco cessation resources and tips, healthy shopping options, and more.

The Southern Nevada Health District serves as the local public health authority for Clark County, Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas, Mesquite and North Las Vegas. The agency safeguards the public health of the community’s residents and visitors through innovative programs, regulations, and initiatives focused on protecting and promoting their health and well-being. More information about the Health District, its programs, services, and the regulatory oversight it provides is available at www.SNHD.info. Follow the Health District on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.