arch is National Nutrition Month and this year's theme is "Get a Taste for Nutrition." In the broadest sense, the word "nutrition" means the science of food and nourishment. Food not only gives us pleasure and helps us bond with others, it also affects our health for better or for worse, depending on what we choose to eat. Whether you're a nutrition novice or a seasoned health nut, we all have room for improvement in our diets. The following suggestions can help inspire you to get a better taste for good nutrition:

Try something new. Make "variety is the spice of life" your new eating motto. Most of us tend to eat the same foods day in and day out, contributing to boredom and possible nutritional deficiencies. Even if you're an adventurous eater, chances are there are a few things out there, like kale, enoki mushrooms, or cherimoyas, that you've never tried. For a tasty, healthful, and nutritious diet, expand your eating horizons to include new, seasonal, and exotic foods, especially produce and ethnic foods. You can use my Food of the Month column to inspire new foods in your diet; as well as my healthy recipes, which can be found at www.gelsons.com, to help guide you towards delicious dishes made from new and exciting foods.

Create balance in your food choices. Having the right balance of high-fiber, whole-grain carbohydrates and protein, plus vegetables or fruit, with each meal will help to maximize your energy level and satiety, so you can remain hunger-free and energetic until your next meal. A turkey sandwich on whole-grain bread piled high with vegetables with a fruit salad on the side is a perfect example of a balanced lunch.

Balance the carbohydrates you eat with your activity level. Another type of balance should be created to meet your personal energy needs. Energy comes from carbohydrates, not protein or fat. If you're more active during the day and less active at night, you need to eat more carbohydrates earlier in the day at breakfast and lunch and fewer carbohydrates at dinner. For dinner, replace starches like pasta, rice, and bread with starchy vegetables such as corn, sweet potatoes, baby potatoes, and peas. Make sure you choose unrefined whole grains and starchy vegetables more often than refined carbohydrates.

Choose healthy foods, not "diet" foods. Maintaining your weight means balancing the number of calories you eat with the number of calories you burn. Losing weight means burning more calories than you eat. You don't need special low-carb or low-fat foods to help you lose weight. You'll be much better off if you concentrate your energy on choosing healthy whole foods, like vegetables, fruit, whole grains, lean meats, plant proteins, and nonfat dairy products instead of special processed foods.

Eat the foods you love-in moderation. It's important to include your favorite treats in your healthy eating plan. Good nutrition means not only choosing the right foods; it also entails having a healthy relationship with food. Instead of depriving yourself or feeling guilty, reward yourself for choosing healthful foods with a little of your favorite dessert.

Achieve a healthy body weight. Choosing healthy foods not only can help improve your health and reduce your risk for diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers, it can also help you achieve a healthy weight. Losing excess weight can help to lower blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels, which, in turn, reduce disease risk.

Good nutrition is a way of life, not a temporary approach to weight loss. Enhance your health with better food choices and compliment your improved eating habits with regular exercise. Remember that what you eat affects your health, so if you don't already have a gusto for good nutrition, now is a great time to whet your appetite for healthy eating.