March is nutrition month! Throughout of the month of March, Canadians will eat about 100 meals. Dietitians of Canada is challenging us to Take a 100 Meal Journey by pledging to make small changes, one meal at a time. At the beginning of March, I pledged to increase my fruit and vegetable intake. I would like to share my 100 meal journey with you.
Eating well can improve our health and help us feel our best. However, many of us who have made an effort to improve our diets know that making too many changes at once can be overwhelming. This year’s pledge encourages us to make one important, concrete change that we can stick with. Interested in getting started to improve your eating habits? First, choose your change. Think about your eating habits. Where can you make a positive easy change?
My Pledge
I make an effort to eat regular, balanced meals. However, it wasn’t until that I took a closer look at my eating habits that I found I often do not get the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables each day. I pledged to increase my intake of fruits and vegetables. This may sound like a simple goal, but simple goals are the easiest to stick to. Some of the ways I have been meeting my challenge is by making fruit-loaded smoothies for breakfast or evening snacks, packing an extra piece of fruit to eat on my drive home from work, and adding a container of raw veggies to my lunch (I cut up extra to have on hand for stir-frys). I have started to make more vegetable soups, and add extra vegetables to spaghetti sauce, chilis, and stews. I will wash and prepare salad greens and store them in air-tight container, so that salad is easy to prepare for the next couple of days. Sometimes when I have an extra busy week, I’ll buy a pre-cut fruit platter for my family and I to snack on.
Try Something New
To keep things interesting during my 100 Meal Journey, I decided to try some new recipes. A new favourite I’ve tried this month is the Veggie Buddha Bowl from the Dietitians of Canada free “Cookspiration” app. I also had the opportunity of participate in a hands-on Canadian Lentils Nutrition Month workshop this month, where we made fantastic lentil inspired recipes (bonus, these healthy dishes also incorporated vegetables and fruit). A couple of my favourites from this workshop are the Hoison Lentil Lettuce Wraps, and the Coconut and Banana Lentil Bites.
SMART Goals
A simple way to make small changes stick is to set achievable SMART goals. I found that making a plan worked for me and I would encourage you to try the SMART goals plan as well in order to be successful in sticking to your pledge.
S – Be SPECIFIC. What are you changing? How will you do this?
M – Make your goal MEASURABLE. For example, say “I will eat a vegetable at lunch every day” not “I will eat more vegetables.”
A – Set small ACTION-oriented goals. Change a small eating behaviour.
R – Be REALISTIC. Choose a goal you can achieve.
T – Attach a TIME FRAME. On a 100 Meal Journey, give yourself a month to achieve your goal.
Easy Ideas
Here are some easy ideas you can try to embark on your own 100 meal journey to improve your nutritional health:
- Start by setting 1-3 small goals at a time. Too many goals at once can be challenging.
- Post your healthy eating goal on the fridge. Put it in your phone as a set reminder.
- Monitor your progress with a food diary or the Dietitians of Canada “eaTracker” app so you can keep on top of your goals.
- Make a meal plan so you know ahead of time what foods you will be cooking and eating.
- Cook a large batch of grains (e.g, oatmeal, brown rice, couscous) or pulses (e.g, lentils, chickpeas, black beans) at beginning of week. Portion into small containers and chill/freeze to incorporate into meals throughout the week.
- Put a bowl of fruit on the counter so you can grab a healthy snack any time.
- Control portions by using a lunch-sized plate instead of a dinner plate.
To download Cookspiration and eaTracker, visit:
http://www.dietitians.ca/Your-Health/Nutrition-Month/Get-the-Apps.aspx