Introduction
Health and wellness are an important part of people’s lives, and a consideration each and every person must have. Individuals are in large part interested in prolonging their life, making them more enjoyable, sustainable, and beneficial to both themselves and the environment. However, with the variety of daily considerations to take every single day, the prospect of healthy living can seldom be achieved. Despite this fact, many people strive to improve their habits, preferences, and routines in order to promote a better life for themselves and other people. For the purposes of allowing people to achieve their best possible self, professionals in planning and implementing change are often consulted, including psychologists, trainers, doctors, and other knowledgeable individuals. Their support or advice can be invaluable in the pursuit of a better lifestyle and positive change. For the change to take place, an introduction of a comprehensive and thought-out strategy is often needed. In particular, a framework for improving lifestyle should be appropriate for each individual and backed up by evidence of its effectiveness. An intervention strategy to achieve such a goal will be documented and discussed in this work, as demonstrated by my friend Robert. The friend in question is a lively and positive person in life, who, prior to this intervention, did not have the ability or proper self-management skills to achieve better health outcomes for himself. The intervention discussion will focus on overviewing Robert’s problems, as well as an intervention strategy to change his daily diet to a more beneficial one.
Client and Intervention Overview
Robert is a long-time friend of mine and a person that I have known for more than a few years until now. He is a 26-year-old white man, living in a middle-income suburban area in a rented flat. He is currently both working an office job and going to some creative courses, leading a generally active life and taking part in many community activities. He has taken a habit of exercising in the morning, and often runs to his workplace instead of using public transit. For a prolonged period of time, he has been generally healthy, and has not experienced many serious diseases, nor does he have any chronic conditions that I am knowledgeable of. However, something that Robert shared with me recently is a desire to start leading a more healthy and environmentally-positive life, in particular by adjusting his diet. While not exactly eating unhealthy, he is known to indulge in greasy, fat, and meaty foods often, leaving him feeling full and heavy in the mornings. We have been discussing possible alternatives to change his diet, and come up with a few solutions, including the reduction of meat consumption, eating habits, and regime. During the process, Robert noted that his other acquaintances recommended a vegetarian diet as a viable alternative, one that will improve his general health and wellbeing. Robert and I both thought that the idea is very promising, and the introduction of a change strategy to transition to vegetarian eating was initiated.
The intervention, strategy, then, involves changing Robert’s shopping list and the types of meals he consumes every day. The main goal is to gradually fully replace meat purchasing and consumption with non-meat alternatives. This process will include the documentation and review of all shopping done by Robert, as well as changes in diet. The intervention will be aimed at fulfilling two main goals – improving the wellness and health of Robert, and promoting personal sustainable living.
Literature Review
The interest in vegan and vegetarian alternatives is becoming more and more prominent with the passage of time, due to a variety of factors. The awareness of factory farming, the environmental crisis of today, and the desire to stay healthy are among many others (Ethical vegetarianism and veganism 2018). Current research notes that the consumption of non-meat products as alternatives to meat, with proper planning, rationing, and preparation, can be beneficial to human functioning, as well as save costs. No correlation has been found between cases of mental health problems and changes to a vegetarian diet, making it a viable and healthy option for both the body and the mind (Lavallee et al., 2019). In terms of mineral and vitamin intake, all plant-based diets suffer somewhat, being inefficient at providing the body with Zn, thiamin, and vitamins A and B12 (Seves et al., 2017). The discrepancy can be addressed with the use of vitamins or the rare consumption of meat. On the positive side, the plant-eating diet lowers the environmental impact on an individual by at least 40%
Research Question
Can Robert fully replace his meat consumption with non-meat alternatives during the course of a month?
Methods
Robert goes to the store to buy food twice a week, buying enough to last him until the next visit to the store. The study will document the number of meat products purchased during each trip, as well as the purchase of any meat alternatives or other dishes/meals/ingredients. The results will be reviewed and Robert’s ability to adopt a vegetarian diet will be discussed.
Results
Discussion
During the course of this intervention, Robert was able to start buying and using unfamiliar kinds of foods for his daily life, as well as fully substitute the use of meat in his daily life. While the initial period was difficult, with him having to buy meat-based product in conjunction with their plant alternatives, he has managed to gradually fully stop consuming meat and switch to a meatless diet. The intervention process has effectively changed the day-to-day habits of Robert into their better alternatives, helping him feel more rested and energised in the mornings. The process has additionally reduced the environmental impact his living makes, which is a considerable contribution to the global green effort.
References
Seves, S. M., Verkaik-Kloosterman, J., Biesbroek, S., & Temme, E. H. M. (2017). Are more environmentally sustainable diets with less meat and dairy nutritionally adequate?Public Health Nutrition, 20(11), 2050–2062.
Lavallee, K., Zhang, X. C., Michalak, J., Schneider, S., & Margraf, J. (2019). Vegetarian diet and mental Health: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses in culturally diverse samples. Journal of Affective Disorders, 248, 147–154.