By Leanne Tan, Student Writer
March is the month when spring is right around the corner. We can feel the air getting warmer, and the days getting longer. March is a good time to think about spending time taking care of ourselves as winter melts away and spring offers the promise of a fresh start. March just so happens to be National Nutrition Awareness month, a day organized by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. It is an annual campaign focusing on the importance of making informed food choices, developing good eating and creating healthy physical activity habits. To spread nutritional awareness around campus, the Student Nutrition Awareness Club (SNAC) will be holding a number of events throughout the month. All activities are free and open to anyone interested.
March 2, 9 and 30: Mystery Food Mondays
While National Nutrition Month is about eating right and taking care of our health, it does not necessarily mean we have to eliminate certain foods from our diets completely. To educate the campus community about this, SNAC members will be handing out desserts containing secret ingredients three Mondays throughout the month.
“I chose dessert-type recipes for the Mystery Food Mondays and incorporated a healthy ingredient into the recipes to add more nutrients” National Nutrition Month Coordinator Melissa Kilroy said. “Because you can still eat desserts and other types of food as long as you have a balance.”
A SNAC booth will be set up from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at a different location on campus each day. Students can also guess the secret ingredients each time for a chance to be entered into a raffle to win a $25 gift card at the end of the month.
SNAC booth locations:
March 2: Outside of Jordan
March 9: Union
March 30: Library
March 10: Free Pilates Class
Taught by Mindy Smith, Senior Lecturer in Applied Health Science Mindy Smith, A pilates session will take place at the Falcon Fitness Center group exercise room from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. It will be taught by Mindy Smith, Senior Lecturer in Applied Health Science.
“There are many aspects to health other than just nutrition” Kilroy said. “National Nutrition Month also covers another one of these factors, which is physical activity, and that is why I incorporated the pilates class.”
Limited spaces available. To reserve a spot, email mk1373@messiah.edu.
March 25: Talk by Christine Bucher
Christine Bucher, a registered dietitian and adjunct instructor at Messiah will be speaking about this year’s national nutrition month theme, which is “eat right, bite by bite.” She will also be sharing ways to set reasonable goals that can lead to behavioral changes over time. She will also be speaking about her experiences working at a hospital and pediatric patients ward. The talk will be held at Kline 120 at 5 p.m.
March 28: Bite by Bite around the World
With the Spanish club, SNAC will be preparing a variety of Hispanic foods for people to try at Jordan 063 at 4 p.m. During the event, members of the Spanish club will be sharing about their experiences with food while traveling abroad.
According to Kilroy, the inspiration for this event came from her summer experience volunteering at a Women, Infants and Children (WIC) center in Montgomery County in Maryland.
“[WIC] had a farm stand with fresh fruits and vegetables” she said, “and because it was located in a higher Hispanic population area, there’s a lot of foods I wasn’t familiar with so that’s why I incorporated this event into National Nutrition Month for people to learn about different cultures and different foods.”
Food Related Podcasts
Throughout the month, a number of podcasts created by nutrition and dietetics majors will be broadcast on the Pulse radio. Topics cover a range of different food items and each podcast runs between two to five minutes.
Online Healthy Food Drive
SNAC is partnering with Project SHARE, a local food pantry based in Carlisle, to hold an online food drive with the goal of providing healthy food choices for those struggling with food insecurity. Students and staff can purchase food items for donation by visiting shareshop.org or texting SNACSHARE to 44321.
Dedicated to increasing nutritional awareness around campus, SNAC seeks to reach out to students and the local community through educational experiences and events. SNAC holds bi-weekly members meetings that are open to all students from all majors. For more information about SNAC and National Nutrition Month events, email snac@messiah.edu.