Nutrition: Progressive Eating Goals

Instructions: Pick one goal each week that you feel confident you can modify in your diet for years to come. Every week, record date of commitment by goal. Share your goal with those close to you and put a note of your goal on your refrigerator so you are more likely to succeed.

Eat smaller meals throughout the day

• Eat snack during the time you are without food the longest during your waking hours
• Eat small meals every 2.5 or 4 hours throughout the day
• Plan 3 meals and 2 or 3 snacks distributed throughout the day every 2.5 to 4 hours
• If eating less than 3 meals, eat an additional meal.
• Introduce breakfast by drinking milk, fruit or vegetable juice
• Introduce additional food to breakfast
• Eat cereal for bed time snack instead of a high fat snack food
• Prepare extra for meals so left overs are on hand
• Plan time for preparing a nutritious snack lunch or snack for hard to get away times
• Slightly decrease portion sizes of your largest meals

Eat more fiber

• Eat 100% whole wheat instead of white bread
• Add beans, steamed or raw vegetables to any meal
• Eat a green salad every day
• Eat fresh fruit for dessert or a snack
• Eat oatmeal or other higher fiber cereal for breakfast
• Stock up on frozen vegetables and fruits so they are always available
• Add raw spinach leaves to salad for more nutrients
• Eat a vegetable to a meal: breakfast, lunch, or dinner
• Add vegetables to omelette, pizza, sandwich, stir fry, and other recipes
• If you find it hard to eat vegetables consider vegetable juice or gazpacho
• Purchase pre-cut veggies and salad mixes for convenience
• Eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily; keep a tally of servings eaten

Eat lower fat foods

• Eat ice milk, sherbet, or non-fat frozen yogurt instead of ice cream
• Choose lower fat salad dressings (low fat, no fat)
• Substitute plain yogurt for sour cream
• Substitute plain yogurt for mayonnaise in your chicken or tuna salad
• Decrease sandwich spread or salad dressing by progressively adding plain yogurt
• Eat lower fat cuts of meat
• Choose milk with lower fat (2%, 1%, 1/2%, Skim or non-fat)
• Choose lower fat cheese (monzorella, low fat cheese)
• Eat cereal with milk for bed time stack instead of traditional snack food
• Plan to eat healthy 6 days a week and only eat sweets and higher fat foods one day a week

Appetite control

• Eat just until comfortable, leave food on plate if necessary
• Eat a snack before lunch or dinner to reduce the tendency to overeat
• Keep a food journal of the quantities of all food eaten
• Rate appetite after each meal or snack: 1) Very Hungry, 2) Hungry, 3) Satisfied, 4) Full, 5) Very Full
• Check your diet periodically using computer diet analysis software
• Weigh food and serve pre-determined portion before sitting down to eat
• Limit the number of times you eat out at restaurants
• Eat before being around processed snack foods (eg: party, shopping, etc.)
• Agree to do extra exercise if you eat more than you had planned using a caloric expenditure and content database or table

Planning

• Write weekly menu with accompanying shopping list
• Keep shopping list (with pen or pencil) conveniently located in kitchen
• Prepare foods the evening before and refrigerate for the next day