Qatar University (QU) The Department of Human Nutrition at the College of Health Sciences, a member of QU-Health at Qatar University (QU), celebrated Nutrition month this March. We are all unique with different bodies, goals, backgrounds and tastes. This year’s theme was celebrating flavors from cultures around the world and finding a tasty way to nourish ourselves and appreciate our diversity.
The department organized a series of Instagram lives during the entire month with more than 900 views for each live streaming. Third year students prepared the Nutrition month activities, which involved weekly key messages and brainteaser questions before the day of the live streaming.
Different topics were covered. First week’s topic embraced the importance of eating a variety of nutritious foods. Students explained to the audience the importance of including different food groups with healthier selections, how to read nutrition facts labels and how to incorporate cultural foods following my plate recommendations.
The live in the second week shared the 10 reasons to visit a Dietitian. A Dietitian Nutritionist can help you create healthy habits that celebrate your heritage and introduce you to new foods and flavors. The first step to visit a dietitian is to ask for a referral from the family doctor. In case they had unique needs they can look for a specialized dietitian to provide a personalized plan to meet their health goals. A dietitian will help clients adjust traditional recipes by providing healthful advices, alternative cooking methods and other tailored techniques to enjoy healthy nutritious traditional foods into everyday meals.
Tips to plan meals and snacks were discussed in the third week. Meal planning will help you stick to the plan rather than eating out or just eat something unhealthy. Preparing a grocery list is one of the strategies to shop right. Tips to make healthful food and drink choices were shared.
Dr Tahra ElObeid, Head of Nutrition Department at Qatar University, stated: “Healthy eating does not have to be boring, favorite foods can be fine-tuned with natural spices and healthy cooking methods preserving their natural essence while enjoying the taste”. The subject of the fourth and last week of the Nutrition month was to create nutritious foods, which are tasty and flavorful at the same time at home. The students shared beneficial tips on healthy cooking and meal preparation techniques that can enhance the nutritive value and can be enjoyed by everyone in the family.
In regards to the world of flavors matter, nutrition students encouraged the audience to try out new flavors and foods from around the world integrating different cultures into one; as this will expand the joy and satisfaction in developing individualized healthful meals.
Dr Tahra El-Obaid added: “Nutrition Month has been a gold mine public outreach activity in health awareness-raising.”
Source: QATAR UNIVERSITY