You stocked up your pantry amid the pandemic. It’s time to take stock and start cooking

My professional mother ship, also known as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, declares March as National Nutrition Month.

During March, nutrition education displays would be set up in community centers, hospital lobbies, shopping malls and other places people might gather. Since gathering is not the norm these days, I wanted to share a few of the nutrition messages I find useful.

The overall theme of the campaign is “Personalize your Plate.”

We all have food quirks that ought to be respected. My husband and I both like chicken. I would be happy to have my chicken smothered in broccoli whereas any broccoli on his plate would ruin the meal. If I use frozen vegetables, which are as nutritious as fresh, I can easily enjoy broccoli while he munches on carrots.

It is personalized and we are each getting at least one cup of vegetables with dinner. The goal for a nutrition-packed intake is two cups of fruit and two and a half cups of vegetables a day.

Another message, which I am actively working on, is to reduce food waste.

The United States is the global leader in food waste. About 219 pounds of food is wasted yearly per person in this country. We all worry about plastic bags and bottles, but food is the single largest component taking up space in

U.S. landfills.

The beginning of the pandemic was scary and confusing and a lot of us stocked up on canned foods as well as toilet paper. This is the time to take inventory of your pantry and start using your canned items.

Like frozen, canned foods are as nutritious as fresh. Take out the cans before they expire and enter the contents in a google search. I found interesting recipes after entering canned tuna, chickpeas and diced tomatoes.

Find a local food bank for donation if you are not able to eat what you have.

For all the tips from National Nutrition Month check out www.eatright.org