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March is Nutrition Month. That gives us a chance to talk about some basic nutrition to contribute to our health and wellness. There are six essential nutrients that our bodies need to obtain through food: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins supply calories for energy; the foods that are made up of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins also contain vitamins and minerals. The "best" foods we can eat are "nutrient-dense"; in other words, they contain lots of vitamins and minerals along with the carbohydrate, fat, or protein that provides the calories for energy. Water is also a very important nutrient. Our bodies are 50-70% water, and the water is constantly being recycled. That means we need to consume plenty of liquids to replace what is excreted. Don't wait until you're thirsty to drink water; for optimal health, you need to take in liquid before your thirst mechanism registers that your body is low on water.

Okay, so now that we've covered the six essential nutrients, which foods do we eat to give ourselves the best chance of getting these nutrients in the proper proportion? Although there are no magic answers, Food Guide Pyramids have been developed to provide a guide to good nutrition. There are several versions - "regular" American diet, vegetarian, Asian, Latin American, Mediterranean, and more. To find these Food Guide Pyramids check www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/ and click on Food Guide Pyramids. The pyramids provide types of food and suggested number of servings of each type. You will notice that 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables are recommended.

If you choose to make any changes in your nutritional habits during Nutrition Month, we suggest increasing fruit and vegetable intake. (If you already eat 5-9 servings each day, congratulations! You simply need to maintain this very healthy habit.) Fruits and vegetables have many different vitamins and minerals, so eating a variety is most helpful in overall good nutrition. To give us visual help with choosing a good variety, some experts recommend that we eat fruits and vegetables of different colors - white, orange, green, red, yellow, etc. Many fruits and vegetables also have a lot of water (helps us get enough of that nutrient) and fiber.

Fiber has many benefits.
- helps food move through the digestive system
- helps maintain healthy cholesterol levels
- helps stabilize blood glucose (helpful in managing diabetes)
- may decrease the risk of colon cancer

If you have any questions about nutrition, or you have a request for a topic for a future version of Eastern-ease, please e-mail us at mary.drabbs@enmu.edu.