March is Nutrition Month and the theme for this year from Dietitians of Canada is "Get The Real Deal On Your Meal," with the purpose of busting nutrition myths.
Dietitians of Canada chose this because they've become increasingly concerned about the amount of misconceptions around aspects of nutrition that are coming through different social media outlets. They're finding nutrition information has never been as accessible as it is right now, and while that's very exciting, the internet and many other forms of social media also produce all sorts of information that isn't credible. So Nutrition Month 2012 is focused on busting popular food and nutrition myths, and bringing the truth to Canadians, from dietitians which are the food and nutrition experts.

Chantelle D'Andreamatteo, Manager Healthy Living for the CRHA, says Dietitians of Canada have put together 39 myths that they feel are the most popular and concerning. Each day they've put out a new myth and busted it with the truth. CRHA specifically has been sending this information to staff and they send it outward, and hopefully it gets to everyone. She says they've had lots of positive response so far.

D'Andreamatteo explains they've picked two top myths that they feel are the most crucial. They've  found the most prevalent myth is avoiding carbohydrates if you want to lose weight. The truth is, cutting carbohydrates might help you lose weight in the short term, but it's mostly because you are eating less and cutting out important nutrients like whole grains, fruits, and legumes. Because so many foods include these it's hard to stick to that diet for very long. The best weight loss plan is one you can live with and becomes a part of your life in small increments. To keep the weight off Dietitians of Canada recommend the same advice they've been saying for years - exercise and use Canada's Food Guide.

D'Andreamatteo says people hear all these glamorous diet plans but it's really about finding what works for you and sticking to it life long. She admits time and time again clients, who've come to the place where they want to make changes and they are doing the quick fix things where you cut out carbohydrates, lose weight but it gets hard to sustain. It works for a bit, and then backfires. She says slow steps and small changes have the biggest and longest impact.

The second myth that they see in the media time and time again is the sodium issue. The myth says the best way to limit sodium intake is to stop using the shaker. D'Andreamatteo adds the truth is yes, Canadians use too much sodium, but the shaker is not the culprit. Over 75% of the sodium we eat comes from processed foods, prepackaged ready to eat foods, only 11% actually comes from the shaker. One of the things they try and promote is using herbs and seasonings when you are baking and cooking instead of using salt. She stresses reading labels.

D'Andreamatteo notes if you go onto the Dietitians of Canada website and you click on Nutrition Month it will give you tons of information including the 39 myths and truths. The website has a vast array of info and there's all kinds of tools you can use like putting in your own recipes and it will tell you the nutritional aspects from that recipe. She says the most important thing to remember when looking for information is to make sure its linked to a dietician as they get their information from science and evidence based resources.