Spring is just around the corner so it’s a great time to shape up your diet and your body. This year’s National Nutrition Month® theme encourages consumers to eat the recommended amounts of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein foods and dairy each day.

According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics press release, “The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics is committed to improving the nutritional health of consumers by translating sound, science- and evidence-based research into messages they can understand and apply to their everyday lives,” said registered dietitian and Academy President Sylvia Escott-Stump. “Each year, National Nutrition Month provides us the opportunity to remind consumers of the basics of healthy eating. By focusing this year’s theme on the new MyPlate, we can help people make the simple changes to their daily eating plans that will benefit them for a lifetime.”

Small and simple changes are generally part of my mantra as I dole out nutrition and eating advice via my social networks newspaper columns, and books. Just as there is no perfect person, there is no perfect diet. We all have imperfections in our daily habits. It’s important however to take a look at them once in a while and work toward making better choices more often.

One way to do this is to keep a food and exercise journal. This allows you to first evaluate what you are eating, and what your habits look like (do you sit for meals, are you rushed, are you skipping food groups, are you exercising regularly?). Once you take a look at your current habits, you can work on one thing at a time to shape up your plate, and shape up your body.

What will you do this month to get your plate in shape?