Windsor Essex County Health Unit
Making small changes, one meal at a time
March is nutrition month, and this
year’s theme is all about making small
changes to increase your healthy eating and
lifestyle behaviours. Changing habits can be
very difficult; what works for one person
may not work for the next, which can make
the process frustrating. More than one
strategy is often needed to help you make
lasting changes. But the good news is,
research has proven that there is no one
method that is more effective then another
when making changes. Finding what works
for you is the best plan for long term
success. Strategies to help reach and keep a
healthy lifestyle include the following:
keeping food records, reducing screen time,
drinking water more often than other
beverages, using a fitness tracker, finding a
friend or family member to be active with
and increasing the amount of vegetables
and fruit you eat each day.
Another way to make small changes is
to set goals that are personally important
and achievable. Once you have a goal set,
you can develop a plan to help you reach
and keep your goal, resulting in long-term
change. If you don’t succeed at first, that is
okay. Take some time to reflect on why the
goal wasn’t met and modify the goal to fit
within your lifestyle.
Below are some tips to help make
small changes to your eating habits
today:
Plan ahead – Do you have the same late
afternoon snack attack every day but never
have anything on hand but the vending
machine? Planning ahead can help you
Find out more!
To learn more about
how to make small
changes visit:
Eat Right Ontario
or
Dietitians of Canada
You can also follow
the WECHU on
Facebook and Twitter
(@theWECHU) to
receive healthy
eating tips
throughout the
month of March.
navigate the day without having to grab
food on the go. Making ‘planned extras’ the
night before will give you a ready to go
lunch with little effort in the morning, and
having fruit on hand can help keep you
satisfied until your next meal.
Change your environment – Cues to eat
are everywhere! Take a look at your daily
environment and see if there are changes
you can make to help you meet and keep
your goals. For example, if you want to
increase your fruit intake, swap out the
office candy bowl for an office fruit bowl.
Q