U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, M.D., will kick off National Nutrition Month at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The event will begin at 2 p.m. March 1, 2012, in the Hill University Center Alumni Auditorium, 1400 University Blvd. Benjamin is an alumnus of the UAB School of Medicine and practiced medicine in Bayou La Batre, Ala., prior to her appointment in 2009.
National Nutrition Month is an annual effort of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics to emphasize healthy eating. This year’s campaign, Get your Plate in Shape, stresses consumption of fruits and vegetables and an understanding of proper portions.
“I am calling on all Americans to join me in a national grassroots effort to reverse the current obesity crisis,” Benjamin said. “My Vision for a Healthy and Fit Nation includes showing people how to choose nutritious food, add more physical activity to their daily lives and manage the stress that so often derails their best efforts at developing healthy habits.”
“Devastating diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer are linked to obesity, and Alabama has one of the highest obesity rates in the country,” said event organizer Jose Fernandez, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences. “Good nutrition is the key to good health, and the Surgeon General is a champion and leading voice in the fight to improve nutrition in all Americans.”
Benjamin’s talk is sponsored by the UAB schools of Health Professions and Medicine. It is free and open to the public.