It’s here again! Since 1973, the American Dietetic Association (ADA) has sponsored National Nutrition Month every year throughout March. This year’s theme is 100% Fad Free.

The aim of the ADA together with its nearly 65,000 members is to help consumers to recognize a diet fad. If followed for very long, a diet fad is potentially risky to your health. An example of a diet fad is one that excludes many foods or an entire food group thus eliminating key nutrients that are important for health.

A food fad can also be an unrealistic or exaggerated claim about a specific food or supplement or combination of foods. Usually the claim promises a quick cure or quick weight loss—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The cabbage soup diet and the grapefruit diet may be fads that you remember. Perhaps you’ve tried them!

Moderation is still the key together with balance and variety when selecting foods that you eat. Along with aiming for a minimum of 1.5 cups of fruit, 2 cups of vegetables, 3 ounces of whole grains, 2 to 3 cups of low-fat dairy products and 5 ounces of meat or dried peas and beans each day, block off time on your daily calendar to get 30 minutes of physical activity. These are the nuts and bolts of the 2005 Dietary Guidelines and MyPyramid guides to healthy eating.

Remember that a single food or meal doesn’t make or break a healthful diet. Choose your foods by looking at the large picture. Learn appropriate portion sizes. Develop an eating plan for lifelong health by using any or all of the resources listed below.

Food and nutrition misinformation can be costly to your budget and to your health. Registered dietitians (RD) can help you with an eating plan that is specific to your individual needs. To locate an RD in your area, visit http://www.eatright.org or call the ADA at 1-800-877-1600.

Books and newsletters for food and nutrition information for long term fad-free eating habits are listed below. For a more complete list, go to http://www.eatright.org/nnm.

• American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide, 3rd Edition, RL Duyff, Wiley, 2006.
• Environmental Nutrition, 800-234-2188
• Healthy Eating Every Day, RA Carpenter & CE Finley, Human Kinetics, 2005.
• The Volumetrics Eating Plan: Techniques and Recipes for Feeling Full on Fewer Calories, B Rolls, HarperCollins, 2005.
• Dieting For Dummies -2nd Edition, J Kirby, Wiley, 2004.
• a href=”Diet Simple: 192 Mental Tricks, Substitutions, Habits & Inspirations” title=“Shed Pounds Without Even Trying! Diet Simple”>Shed Pounds Without Even Trying! Diet Simple, K Tallmadge, Lifeline Press, 2004.
• Way to Eat” title=“The Way to Eat”>The Way to Eat, DL Katz & M Gonzalez, Source Books, 2003.