March is National Nutrition Month and Mid-State Health Center’s Registered Dietitian, Denise Normandin, founder of Enlighten Nutrition & Wellness, is ready to serve the nutrition and wellbeing needs of our community. Choosing a healthy lifestyle is key to promoting, maintaining and/or regaining health and wellbeing. Therefore, it is important to consider if your lifestyle habits are programming your body for health vs. chronic disease.
Creating healthy habits and routines can be overwhelming for individuals and the family members that care for them. We all live busy lives that often make it difficult to prioritize healthy eating and physical activity. Denise provides practical solutions combined with her expert knowledge in a caring and compassionate way.
Everyone, no matter their health status, can benefit from eating well and being active to optimize wellbeing. Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Spring is a great time to clean your pantry and refrigerators of unhealthy food and restock with healthier choices to support better eating patterns.
- Collect new recipes and designate a specific day or time frame during the week for meal prepping.
- Consider limiting foods and beverages higher in added sugars, saturated fat, and sodium, and limit alcoholic beverages.
- Make a date with a friend to do physical activities that you enjoy.
- Just START. Take one step and create small goals that you can build on. Walking is a fantastic way to get started.
The core elements that make up a healthy eating pattern include:
- Vegetables of all types—dark green; red, yellow and orange; kale, bell peppers, turnips, sweet potatoes.
- Fruits, especially whole fruit, apples, bananas, avocados, pomegranate, blueberries.
- Whole Grains, including whole-wheat, oatmeal, quinoa, barley to name a few
- Dairy, including fat-free or low-fat milk, Greek yogurt, and cheese, and/or plant-based sources.
- Protein foods, including high quality, lean proteins; beans, peas, and lentils; lean grass-fed meats, poultry, and eggs; and nuts, seeds, and soy products
- Oils, in limited amounts, including olive, walnut and avocado oils or in food, such as seafood and nuts
Denise is accepting new patients and is a preferred provider of Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT), nutrition consulting and Annual Wellness Visits (AWN) and is available to meet one-on-one to create a healthy lifestyle plan that works for YOU. Denise has over twenty years’ experience as a Registered, licensed Dietitian and is a board-certified Lifestyle Medicine Practitioner. “My passion is to inspire sustainable, healthy living practices to improve wellbeing and transform lives,” said Denise.
Private insurance and Medicare accepted. Appointments can be made by calling Mid-State Health Center in Plymouth or Bristol at 603-536-4000.