March 3, 2025
Welcome to our March 2025 blog! Did you ever find yourself curious about food holidays in March? Maybe you haven’t had this experience, which is understandable. I, however, recently did, and decided to take a look as we greet March. Here’s what I found:
MARCH 2025 FOOD HOLIDAYS
March 4: National Pound Cake Day
March 9: National Meatball Day
March 13: National Chicken Soup Day
March 16: National Artichoke Day
March 23: National Chip and Dip Day
March 24: National Cheesecake Day
March 25: National Waffle Day
March 27: World Whiskey Day
Quite a varied list of food holidays for March 2025, no? We’ve everything from breakfast to lunch or dinner options, appetizers, snacks - how diverse! I’m really glad in a sort of nerdy way that I decided to learn what food holidays are around the corner. I’m further glad I checked, as there’s another notable day not included on this list since it doesn’t feature food, but oh boy is it ever related to food and nutrition! In a fun two-fer, March 13, 2025 is not only National Chicken Soup Day - it’s also National Dietitian Day! As I sat with the mental picture of this combo for a while, it occurred to me that maybe it’s a surprisingly sensible one. Dare I say that having a supportive, collaborative dietitian who is also a good listener can be quite comforting, much like a bowl of your favorite chicken soup (or any soup, stew, or chili you like)?
Hear me out…take a moment and reflect on what eating a warm bowl of soup brings to mind, or how it makes you feel. What are some things chicken soup is, or things chicken soup does? Next, think about what a dietitian does, in what ways they can be helpful and supportive, or how meeting with one might make you feel. Are there any similarities? Let’s investigate…
Balance: Soup can offer a wonderful balance of ingredients, as it often includes foods from various groups. A lot of the time, you can find protein, carbohydrate, fat, and produce in (or on, in the form of toppings like cheese, crackers, etc.) your soup. It’s a combo dish that is not only satiating physically, but also mentally and emotionally. A dietitian can help you balance the “ingredients” of your life, such as stress, nutrition, sleep, movement, etc., leaving you physically, mentally, and emotionally in better balance, too. Knowing that no ingredient is more important than another (whether in soup or life) is the secret ingredient.
Comforting: A warm bowl of soup tends to be soothing and relaxing, and not just when we’re sick, stressed, or tired. It helps us feel better mentally and physically. A warm and caring dietitian can help navigate your relationship with food and help you find a plan for nutrition that works for you no matter what - when sick, stressed, tired…anytime. This can help you feel more comfortable and relaxed about your meals/snacks, and relieve stress related to nourishing yourself. A dietitian can be a go-to source of support for mental and physical wellness, much like soup!
Accessible: Make a batch of soup in the Crock Pot for the week - easy leftovers. Pick up some soup at the store or at your favorite restaurant - convenient meal at home or on the go. Soup is often very easy to find and can be convenient. Dietitians are also very accessible in terms of being available for virtual or in-person sessions. There may be other factors that influence accessibility for an individual person, of course. However, it’s likely that seeing a dietitian is more accessible than it has been in the past with the rise of telehealth and increased availability across state lines. When you need that comforting bowl of soup, it can be there relatively easily. When you need support, accountability, and guidance from a dietitian, the same is also true.
Individualized: Don’t like celery in your chicken soup? Leave it out of your next batch. Don’t like dieting but feel pressured to try another one? Learn more about how you can eat more intuitively over time, and work with your dietitian to find a more sustainable plan for meals that works for you. A soup recipe can be flexible and serves as a good base. There’s lots of room to make your soup what you want. Working with a RD can be a flexible recipe, too. The RD that’s the right fit for you will tailor goals and plans to fit your needs and find what will work best for you in the long-term.
Helpful all year round: While we might think of chicken soup especially in the colder months, it’s a tasty option all year round and confers the same benefits all year. Keeping soup in mind no matter the weather means you have a trusty, calming resource at hand. There are even cold soups that are refreshing for warmer weather! Any time of the year is also great for seeing a dietitian. We can help with seasonal and/or life circumstances that may change needs for nutrition or access to food. We can help you feel supported with any events that emerge involving food, and feeling able to approach that situation confidently (think tricky holiday times with family; work events where we might feel pressure to network and tend to our needs at the same time; resumption of school when schedules are changing and finding time to eat can be hard; dating and eating around a new person; etc.). The support we provide can flex over the year, though it will always be there no matter what.
So, a dietitian is not exactly the same as a bowl of chicken (or other) soup, but it is interesting that both ended up sharing a holiday this year, given that they share a decent number of positives. Both provide nourishment, comfort, and a sense of peace when everything else feels a little chaotic. Both are customizable to fit your needs, balanced in their own way, and undeniably support for your well-being. I wonder if the benefits are multiplied if you eat a bowl of soup while meeting with a dietitian? Something to think about until next time…
If you’d like to get connected with one of our dietitians and learn more about how we can help, fill out our contact form and we’d be happy to work with you!
-- Sarita Aguirre, MS, RDN, LDN, CEDS-C