ROCHELLE — March is National Nutrition Month, and Rochelle Community Hospital will be working to raise awareness of eating right and its health benefits.
The theme this year for National Nutrition Month is “Beyond the Plate”, and RCH plans to cover topics including eating healthy on a budget; experimenting with all food groups and different cultures and dishes; and sustainability by utilizing leftovers, shopping locally and growing your own food. The hospital will also celebrate National Registered Dietician Day on March 13, where it will highlight RCH Dietician Janelle Stein and her work to help people in need of making a change in their diets.
National Nutrition Month was started by the now-Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in 1973 to focus on informed food choices to support healthy lifestyles, Stein said. She works with a number of different departments at RCH to help patients in the community.
“If people have questions about how their diet can improve their health, I can answer those questions,” Stein said. “I can talk one-on-one in a clinical way. I see inpatients and outpatients. We're hoping to do more community outreach as far as starting back up our diabetes prevention program in the future. Prevention is so much more beneficial than trying to treat it after diagnosis. We have cardiac rehabilitation here, which touches on nutrition and I'm hoping to be more involved with that. We have a congenital heart failure program which also incorporates nutrition.”
Stein said nutritional health helps the body by keeping its immune system strong to fight off diseases; preventing heart disease and stroke; managing blood sugar to prevent diabetes and its consequences; and managing weight and muscle mass for strength and cardiovascular health.
“Nutrition can help you breathe better, move better and walk better and just feel overall better,” Stein said. “It can give people more energy and help them sleep better. Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’ I really feel like there's something to that. If we can prevent something, it's better than trying to go back and fix it.”
Due to current high prices of food, budgeting is more important than ever when it comes to eating healthy, Stein said. Frozen and canned produce options can be more budget-friendly than fresh produce and still high in nutritional value. Planning meals can help with saving money and preventing spoilage and waste, Stein said.
Conventionally-grown foods can be more of a solution than organic foods for those with priorities of eating healthier and saving money. Stein advised community members to get into good habits on making grocery lists and trips to the store and to be more attentive to which fruits and vegetables are in season.
“When you get into the habit, it becomes easier,” Stein said. “Making regular trips to the store. It's starting with small changes and finding seasonal produce. Apples, pears, grapes and carrots right now are less expensive. This is a citrus time as well. Moving into spring, the berries come in. And in the summer those things are more readily available. Eating seasonally can help save money. If you're buying a watermelon right now, who knows where it's coming from or if it's any good. And it's expensive right now.”
High prices in grocery stores and restaurants have made RCH want to make the community aware of other options for nutritious food for those in need. RCH will host the Northern Illinois Food Bank for a mobile market food pantry on Thursday, March 14 from 4-5:30 p.m. NIFB’s mobile pantry distributes food in high-need areas. Food is free at the events. Attendees are asked to bring bags or boxes in which to package their food. Food is distributed on a first-come, first-served basis while supplies last. RCH and NIFB’s food pantry will be located at the hospital at 900 N. 2nd St. in Rochelle. RCH and NIFB will also host mobile market food pantry events in the summer on Thursday, June 6 and Thursday, Aug. 8 at the same time and place.
Stein also advised the community to look into whether they qualify for food assistance services Illinois Link and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children).
“It's all supplemental and not meant to be your entire food budget, but it can go a long way to helping out,” Stein said. “I know food pantries have gotten better with having produce and meat and healthier selections. Money can be a barrier to eating healthy. Sometimes you have to think a little harder on what's the best deal and not go and purchase whatever you're craving at the moment, even though it can be hard.”
Stein stressed the importance of establishing healthy eating habits in children that could stick with them into their adult years and trying to make sure a fruit and vegetable are included at least every day, if not at every meal. Letting children pick out fruits at the store can go a long way, she said.
People putting more thought into what they eat is one result Stein would like to see as a result of National Nutrition Month.
“I would like to have people think about how nutrition figures into their health goals,” Stein said. “I want to have a message that speaks to nutrition and what we're eating multiple times per day and how that plays into our overall health. And pausing to make even one little change. Whether that's eating an apple or an orange when they wouldn't have thought of it otherwise. Just those little changes. It doesn't have to be a huge change. Little changes add up over time. We're making these decisions multiple times per day. They're really difficult habits to change. Small steps do add up and make a positive change.”
