Diet Plan

            There are many people who could benefit from a more nutritious diet. Even if someone has a balanced diet, there is always room for improvement. Personally, I feel that my diet is pretty balanced. However, I know I need to work on certain aspects.

            One strength I have is my cooking ability. We rarely eat out, and I cook 98% of my families meals and do not own a microwave. I do not cook from a package or a box, and do not use ready-made meals. Everything we eat is made from scratch. I also preserve food from local farms for the months when the growing season is over.  

            Another strength within my diet is the fact that I love vegetables. During the growing season, we have an overabundance of vegetables from our local CSA. However, while vegetables are a strength for me, when it comes to fresh fruit, while it is always on hand I have a tendency of saving it for my children. One way I can improve my intake of fruit is by adding it to my meals by way of salads.

            Another issue I have come to realize I have is with getting enough protein as I do not eat much meat. I have come to realize that I have only been eating protein at one meal per day. I am looking into ways to incorporate protein into each meal. One way I am doing this by searching the internet for websites to get ideas. One website I have found is One Green Planet which has an article called 10 Simple Ways to Eat at Least 10 Grams of Protein at Each Meal Without Meat that looks to be very helpful. 

            While I am good at making sure I have correct portions during my meals; there are many that struggle with it. Something I have found that helps with this, without going out and purchasing a food scale is this picture that shows the hand scale. 

            Another good guide for people to follow is this photo from the Portion Plate

            While I feel thankful that I have the knowledge and understanding about food that I do, I know there is always more to learn. I cannot wait to learn more and be able to help others as well. I am a firm believer in the quote "to act on knowledge, people must change their behaviors, and while this may sound simple enough, behavior change often takes substantial effort" (Sizer & Whitney, 2013. Page 18). After all, something worth having is worth working for, and living a healthy life is worth it to me.

References

Sizer, F. & Whitney, E. (2013).  Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies (13th ed.).  Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.