Staten Island Celebrates National Nutrition Month!
Did you know that March is National Nutrition Month? Well you do now! The New York Foundling’s Developmental Disabilities program celebrated in style. Registered Dietitian, Maddie Rizzuti, visited Staten Island Day-Hab to do some fun, nutrition related activities.
The guys participated in a taste test challenge. First they tried a sample of some of the major types of flavors like sweet, salty, spicy, bitter, and sour. It was no surprise to find out that the majority chose sweet as their favorite flavor, but quite a few of them really enjoyed sipping the bitter tonic water!
After they learned to identify different flavors, the group entered a blindfold taste test challenge. The guys were daring and adventurous as they trusted the dietitian to place a random food item in their hand to try. They tried things like sweet potato, pita chips, kiwi, and mozzarella cheese! Everyone did a great job of recognizing the foods using only their sense of taste, smell, and touch!
For a fun activity to try at home, read the instructions below!
Did you know that our sense of smell (the “olfactory system”) actually accounts for the majority of our ability to taste things? Think about having bad nasal congestion when you’re sick- you can’t really taste what you’re chewing! In order to test this theory out, purchase some Jellybeans.
- Select a jellybean without looking up what flavor it is
- Hold your nose! Make sure you have a perfect seal so that you cannot smell anything!
- Start to chew the candy with your nostrils closed tight. You will find that the flavor is bland and unidentifiable
- Release your nostrils and a burst of flavor should hit your taste buds!
In honor of National Nutrition Month, we should all go home today and set an intention of leading healthy lifestyles (that include fun, food related games)!
