Setting your own personal health goals is an excellent way to put a focus on diet, physical activity, and mental attitude. A good place to start with your diet is to honestly answer the questions in this section and measure your answers against the facts from health experts. This points out any discrepancy between what’s ideal and where you are right now, and it can help you to take the steps you need to have a healthy life.
How do you take your meals?
Do you eat breakfast? Eating breakfast is essential to supplying nutrients to the cells for the workday ahead.
If so, what do you eat for breakfast? Fresh fruits or vegetables, small amount of protein, and some source of omega-3 acids are best to start the day.
What beverages do you drink in a day?
Coffee, regular tea, and soft drinks don’t contribute to a healthy diet. Eight glasses of water is optimal.
What snacks do you eat between meals and when do you eat them?
Keeping a log of exactly what you eat for a whole week will point out what kinds of foods you go to when you feel down or bored or hungry.
How often do you go through the drive-through in a week?
It should be a rare to never occurrence.
How often do you eat fast food (burgers, tacos, deep-fried chicken, pizza, french fries)?
It should be a rare-to-never occurrence.
How many home-cooked dinners do you eat in a week?
It should be a five- to seven-days-a-week occurrence.
How many fruits and vegetables do you eat in a day?
Studies show that eating seven and ideally ten or more servings of fruits and vegetables (with vegetables being five or more of those servings) lowers the risk of many modern diseases.
If your diet is falling short of a healthy, preventive, whole foods way of eating, changes are in order.
Substituting fresh fruit or vegetable juices or smoothies for high-calorie, high-fat snacks and drinks is one of the easiest ways to improve your diet. If you’re already having fresh fruit for snacks, great! Try fresh vegetable drinks, and expand your choices. Only you can determine what, when, and how you’ll eat and drink.