At the most basic level, nutrition is about eating a regular, balanced diet. Good nutrition helps fuel your body. The foods you eat supply the nutrients your body needs to maintain your brain, muscle, bone, nerves, skin, blood circulation, and immune system. Proper nutrition also helps protect you from illness and disease, such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and osteoporosis.

For optimal health, science supports following a plant-based diet like the Mediterranean-DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet or MIND (Mediterranean-DASH Diet Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay) diet. Plant-based diets have been shown to have various health benefits and are linked with a lower risk of heart disease, cancer, and other chronic illnesses. As a general rule, these diets tend to recommend:

• Eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains
• Choosing fat-free or low fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts and vegetable oils
• Limiting saturated and trans fat intake, such as fatty meats and full-fat dairy products
• Limiting drinks and foods that contain added sugars
• Restricting sodium intake while increasing consumption of potassium, magnesium and calcium

Following a healthy diet has many benefits, including building strong bones, protecting your heart, preventing disease, and boosting your mood. A healthy diet typically includes nutrient-dense goods from all of the major food groups including lean proteins, whole grains, healthy fats, and fruits and vegetables of many colors. Healthy eating habits also include replacing foods that contain trans fats, added salt, and sugar with more nutritious options.

Rebecca Polmateer, Program Director, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia and Greene Counties, rejoins the Nature Calls: Conversations from the Hudson Valley podcast to talk about good nutrition and the programs and resources that are available to help residents eat healthy. Listen as she describes how to find the most nutritious foods starting with fresh local produce, frozen vegetables, fresh produce from more distant locations, followed by canned foods. Whole foods are always better than packaged/processed ones. ‘Superfoods’ (e.g. blueberries, quinoa, etc.) tend to be packed with more vitamins. Lean meats are also preferable. She also talks about the importance of food labels on packaged foods.

There are multiple governmental programs that can help ensure your family gets good nutrition. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) issues electronic benefits that can be used like cash to purchase food. SNAP helps low-income working people, senior citizens, the disabled and others feed their families. New York State also offers a special supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) which offers nutrition education, breastfeeding support referrals, nutritious foods.

We’re wishing you more thoughtful and healthy diets in the future!

Hosts: Tim Kennelty and Jean Thomas

Guest: Rebecca Polmateer

Photo by: MyPlate Graphics | MyPlate

Production Support: Linda Aydlett, Deven Connelly, Teresa Golden, Xandra Powers, Annie Scibienski

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