How to create a healthy eating plan
Topic Overview
Creating a healthy eating plan involves setting goals, recording your progress and rewarding yourself.
Set goals
Set the goals you want to achieve. Generally, it is best to set small and measurable goals. You can set them daily or weekly or monthly. When setting goals, think about the following:
Where do you want to start? This could be with meals or food. For example, start by concentrating on a healthy breakfast, and continue with other meals after reaching this goal. Or, decide to eat more fruits and worry about other foods later.
Make one change at a time. Instead of changing your diet overnight, make your changes one at a time. For example, try to eat at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day, reduce the times you eat outside only once a week, or eat fish and shellfish instead of meat or chicken twice a week.
Add something to your diet instead of eliminating something. Add foods that you think you need in greater quantity, such as fruits and vegetables. Eliminating things from the diet (for example, foods that are high in fat or sugar) can leave you feeling deprived of something, which can make it difficult to make changes.
Choose more of the healthy foods you enjoy. Make a list of the foods you like and see how you can change them to make them healthier. For example, prepare pizza at home using low-fat mozzarella cheese and many fresh vegetables. Replace the less nutritious foods in your diet with healthy foods that you like.
Write down your goals. This provides a clear direction towards what you want to achieve. In addition, reading your goals can serve as a useful reminder.
Do not set goals that consist of losing weight quickly. Losing weight quickly is not healthy and it is difficult to avoid regaining it.
Record your progress
One way to assess your progress is to start writing down what you eat in a food diary. People who keep track regularly may be more successful in losing weight and not getting fat again.
To help you record your progress:
Write down the healthy things you do in a notebook or diary. Check it when you start to doubt yourself or your abilities.
Pay attention to how you feel. Can you tell any difference when you feed better? Or, do you notice any difference when, at times, you feed poorly?
Notice if your food preferences change. As we change what we eat, we begin to like new foods. You may notice that you don't like some of the foods you used to eat before you start making changes in your diet. And you may have learned to enjoy new foods that you thought you didn't like.
Review any laboratory test that could have been done if you are following a special diet. I could notice better values.
Blood sugar tests will tell you if your diet is helping to control your diabetes.
Periodic blood tests can measure your cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
You can take your blood pressure, or your health care professional can do it, so if the changes in your diet are improving it.
Give yourself a reward.
When you reach one of your goals, reward yourself. Link each prize with a specific and measurable goal, such as eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day for 1 week.
But don't reward yourself with food. Go to the movies, buy new clothes or go to a massage session.
