The Change I want to (or have made) is
I want to improve my diet and eat two servings of vegetables every day.
The reasons why I want to make the change
A healthy diet is the foundation of well-being. People often eat processed food as they do not have time to cook their meals. Increasing the amount of vegetables in one’s diet improves the vitamin intake, strengthens teeth, and positively affects the bowel movement.
Steps I plan to take (or have taken)
- Make a list of vegetables to buy during the next trip to the grocery store or market.
- Purchase fresh vegetables and prepare meals ahead of time.
- Remember to eat healthily for a month in order to create a habit and reinforce it with repetitive activities.
- Continue to add more healthy ingredients to my diet and avoid purchasing processed foods.
How others can help me?
It is possible to ask my friends to participate in my change and encourage them to take the same steps as I do. Cooking and eating together creates a better environment for relapse prevention as group encouragement helps one to maintain new patterns of behavior. Moreover, I can ask my friends to spend time in places that do not serve unhealthy meals. This action may support my change and prevent me from reverting to an unhealthy diet.
Some challenges to my plan
- Adding more vegetables to my diet on a regular basis may be hard as it takes much time to buy all necessary ingredients and prepare meals.
- Cooking the same meals during an extended period of time may become exhausting and prompt me to choose less healthy options.
Strength of my plan
- Well-prepared meals may encourage me to continue implementing the change.
- This program is not restricting or complicated in any way.
What I will do if my plan isn’t (hasn’t worked)?
Changing the plan to make it less complicated or adding days when I do not need to cook may help me to adjust faster. Moreover, I can ask for help from others in order to reassure me and help me to start again. The need for self-reevaluation is necessary even in the case of small changes.