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Looking and Feeling Your Best Begins with Healthy Habits!

October 13th, 2021

The value of eating well, daily physical activity, and getting adequate sleep can’t be understated as ways to help achieve health and well-being. Your hair, skin, eyes, heart, joints, and muscles will thank you for choosing nutritious food, moving your body, and consuming enough healthy liquids to stay hydrated.

Eat Better

Do you eat a variety of nutrient dense foods daily? What are your favorite nutrient dense foods?

The perimeter of your grocery store is where you can find healthier foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, poultry, seafood, meats without added salt, and frozen vegetables and fruits with no added sugar, salt, or fat. Filling your shopping cart with healthy options will help you plan and prepare meals that both taste good and are good for you. Go in with a plan such as identifying 2-3 new recipes you may like to try this week and see if there’s any overlap with ingredients you can re-use. Tell us- do you prefer the supermarket for your grocery needs, do you prefer to go to the farmers market, utilize CSA’s, food co-ops, or a combination?

Move More

Getting in 30 minutes of physical activity most days, or 150 minutes per week, is another way to keep your body healthy. Physical activity includes anything you do that gets you up and moving. It all counts, whether you walk around the block, use a treadmill, work in your garden, hand-wash your car, or vacuum your house. When you get physical, you burn calories, which helps you maintain a healthy weight and strengthens your heart, bones, and joints. Current exercise guidelines suggest:

At least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, like brisk walking or fast dancing, each week. That could equate to 30 minutes a day, 5 days/week, or 45 minutes per day, 5 days a week! And remember – anything is better than nothing!

Sleep Regularly

Sleep is another contributor to looking and feeling your best. People who don’t get enough rest may experience stress, weight gain, insulin resistance, and weak immunity. Research shows that getting enough sleep can reduce stress, help you maintain a healthy weight, and benefit your overall health.

Start Small

You owe it to your body to give it the nourishment it needs to get you through the day. Small changes, such as swapping out soft drinks for water and eating healthy foods, can make a big difference in how you look and feel!

Special thanks to Sheila Johnson for this post who writes over at https://www.wellsheila.net/

Sheila created Well Sheila as a place to not only share her story, but inspire others to put their physical and mental health first with a regular wellness routine and daily self-care.

MAND Blog

Have you thought about posting to the blog, but don’t know what you could contribute? 

At MAND we welcome anything from recipes, your personal update, interesting research articles (almost a mini lit review), pictures from events, podcasts people have been listening to, etc. Just include any resources. Make sure to include your very favorite photo!

Send us an email: newsletter@eatrightma.org

Please note we check this email about 1-2 times each week. We receive many submissions, but will do our best to reply to each request.

Disclaimer of Liability: The Massachusetts Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Blog strives to provide evidence-based nutrition information. Nothing on this website, its associated blog, or any social media channels should be considered advice or diagnosis. The content is for educational purposes only and not a substitute for personal, professional medical care or diagnosis. MAND does not endorse any products or services mentioned. You are urged to consult your primary care provider regarding any health condition or issue. MAND is not responsible for the content or claims of third party websites or providers.

Posted by: Maureen Kelly Gonsalves

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Board of Directors Recruitment

Massachusetts Dietitians -

Ever considered joining the MAND board? Do you have questions about what is involved?

We'll be posting open positions for 2025-2026 soon and would love to answer any questions you have!

Reach out to admin@eatrightma.org to learn more.  

It's a great way to network and help advance our profession!

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Registered Dietician/Nutritionist Perform education needs of nutrition consumers as well as meeting standards set forth by Executive Office of Elder Affairs (EOEA). Assist with maintaining compliance within the Nutrition Department.. Read more >

Dietitian for Elder Service Plan The Registered Dietitian is responsible for implementing the overall nutrition program for the Elder Service Plan. Under the general supervision of the Nutrition Manager, the Dietitian assists with.. Read more >

Registered Dietitian Eliot is seeking a Registered Dietitian experienced with nutritional goal setting and how mental health can impact it. We are a leading human services organization focused on two things: making a.. Read more >

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MDEF Scholarships

For 2024, MDEF will be giving out two MDEF scholarships and one MDEF Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) scholarship to deserving nutrition students, each in the amount of $1500. Please pass along to any nutrition students or interns who may be eligible to apply!

All applications are due by May 31st