arch is National Nutrition Month and this year's theme is "Eat Smart, Stay Healthy." This makes me think about the powerful role our brains can play in positively influencing our health. Knowledge is power, especially when it comes to choosing which foods we put into our mouths. The mind-body connection also plays a significant role in our wellbeing, since being mindful about what we eat can directly affect our physical and emotional states, which in turn helps prevent many lifestyle-related diseases. As a dietitian, I obviously believe that nutrition is important, but I have to emphasize that our overall lifestyle has a greater impact on our health than one or two lifestyle factors on their own. Let's take a look at how our health can impact our minds and how our minds can influence our health.

Good nutrition and plenty of exercise in childhood helps set the stage for vivacious living. It has already been well established that children with poor diets also have inferior academic performance, but the latest findings in childhood obesity research may surprise you. The best students are not those that spend most of their time studying and sitting in front of a computer. It is the most physically fit children that have the best academic performance, which proves that healthy bodies help build healthy minds. Furthermore, the social stigma attached to being an overweight or unfit child can hinder learning, contribute to deficient self-esteem, and encourage social withdrawal. Teaching kids to eat smart and enjoy physical activity from the beginning gives them the values and guidelines they need to make healthy food choices throughout their lives. It also lays the groundwork for making exercise a life-long habit rather than an occasional event. It's no secret that when kids and adults feel better about themselves, they're more likely to treat themselves well, but good habits are not instinctual, they need to be learned.

Some of the key healthy habits that we all need to practice include:

Eating breakfast—and making sure that it's balanced with whole-grain carbohydrates and protein (try Kashi Go Lean Crunch or Nature's Path Optimum Slim cereals with some organic nonfat milk). Breakfast helps refuel your brain after your overnight fast and can help improve concentration, memory, and productivity. Eating at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, but aiming for nine or ten to boost our antioxidant intake. A diet rich in antioxidants can help protect against heart disease, strokes, and certain cancers. Antioxidants also seem to help prevent neurological damage and improve memory. Exercising regularly to help keep our bodies working optimally, our weight in check, and put our minds at ease. Physical activity gets our blood flowing to all parts of our brains (literally and figuratively helping to clear our heads), lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, and improves our moods. Drinking enough water is a powerful practice that many people forget about. Adequate water intake helps prevent many headaches, improves energy levels, and helps curb our appetites. Getting enough sleep is essential for growth and repair within our bodies. Lack of sleep contributes to weight gain, accidents, weakened immune system, and fatigue. It also alters our moods and energy levels, making us less motivated to care for ourselves properly. Replacing saturated, hydrogenated, and partially hydrogenated fats with monounsaturated fats (from olive and canola oils, nuts, and avocado) and omega-3 fats (fatty fish, walnuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and soy). This can help lower cholesterol levels and inflammation that can cause atherosclerosis and reduce blood flow to the brain and heart.

Your brain is one of your most powerful tools for helping to prevent diseases like heart disease, reduce symptoms of conditions like high blood pressure, chronic pain, migraines, diabetes, menopause, infertility, and digestive disorders, and improve the quality of life for people with life-threatening illnesses. Recent research shows that learning to quiet your mind through regular meditation can help lower blood pressure and heart rate, slow respiration, quell anger and anxiety, and reverse insomnia, mild depression and stress. You can also use your brain to bring a sense of mindfulness and purpose to your eating. Create a calm eating environment free of distractions, like television and newspapers, which will help you enjoy the flavor and subtleties of your food. Decide how much you want to eat before you start eating and eat slowly so that you can recognize when you've eaten enough. A pleasant eating environment can help foster your enjoyment of your meal. Eating with intention can also help you choose healthy foods and control your calorie intake.

Maybe I haven't told you anything you don't already know, but this may be a good time to ask yourself if you're actually practicing the habits that you know are healthy. I believe that deep down we can all identify which foods are healthy and which ones aren't, but with the constant flow of new nutrition information, weight-loss advice from celebrities and quacks, and fad diets, it's difficult to discern fact from fiction. Don't get caught up in the quick fixes and fads. Instead, look inside yourself for the eating skills that will help you eat smart today and always so you can stay healthy.