Beyond the Table: Celebrating National Nutrition Month® at Brio Living Services
During Careers in Aging Month, we are delighted to feature some of the many careers that help us all to age well. As March is also National Nutrition Month®, we salute all those who help to bring delicious, nutritious food to the table for the older adults we serve.
As March draws to a close, we also say goodbye to National Nutrition Month®. This year’s theme for the month-long celebration is Beyond the Table. “National Nutrition Month this year is focused on more than just what you eat, but also on the sustainable food practices, where food is sourced, reducing food waste, making healthy choices, proper food safety and storage, and how to have a more mindful approach to food,” explains Ann Marie Villarreal, Senior Director of Dining Services at Brio Living Services.
At Brio Living Services, good nutrition isn’t just something to think about in March. “For our residents within Brio, Dining Services helps support these practices each and every day,” says Ann Marie. “We have culinary standards in place that focus on freshly prepared meals and locally-sourced foods as much as possible.” For Ann Marie and the dedicated team members that make up Dining Services, it’s not enough for food to just be nutritious—it has to taste good, too. “Eating healthy doesn’t mean you have to eat plain and bland food,” she says. In fact, even though Dining Services chooses to avoid added salt, the food is seasoned so that residents are surprised to learn this. “They often assume we salt our food when seasoning due to the flavor experience they enjoy at the table.”
Though nutrition is a daily focus for Brio, National Nutrition Month® has not gone unnoticed. For instance, The Cedars of Dexter dining team offered weekly specials of healthy, delicious entrees like chicken tandoori with brown rice, and, most recently, halibut en papillote. At Chelsea Retirement Community, Chef Keith Darlington has offered cooking demonstrations for healthy snacks in celebration of National Nutrition Month®, incorporated into the new Balanced Living pilot program which offers creative wellness opportunities to benefit the mind, body, and spirit.
For older adults, nutrition is as important to think about as ever. Ann Marie recommends using MyPlate as a guide for constructing meals that have all the types of foods needed to stay healthy as we age. “As the Senior Director of Dining Services, I am proud that, from shore to shore, our menus offer a variety of options: fruits, vegetables, grains, and lean proteins, to give residents the option to choose a healthy meal with each dining experience,” she says.
As with any official month celebration, it’s a valuable reminder of what’s important, and how to build healthy habits. Ann Marie points out that “National Nutrition Month® allows for us to remind residents that our practices and standards encompass healthy options each and every day.”
You might be surprised to know that there are a wide variety of careers in aging to choose from at Brio Living Services. Learn more about a career you’ll love in Dining Services at MyBrio.org.