Personal Diet Modification Plan

The past few weeks have been so informative. I've learned a ton about nutrition, both in general terms and within the scope of my daily life. I've decided to take personal inventory of my dietary strengths and weaknesses and then come up with a game plan to improve my diet. 

Strengths:

• Variety! I love to shop at the Farmer's Market and "taste the rainbow" of fruits and vegetables.
• High intake of protein! In my household, we eat a lot of protein from fish, beans, cheese, beef, and poultry. 
• No Frankenfood! Overall, I don't purchase prepackaged food with chemical laden or overly processed ingredients. I cook most food from scratch whenever possible.  

fresh produce & flowers from the Gresham farmer's market

Weaknesses:

• I'm tired! My meals tend to go awry when I am too tired to cook something healthy.
• What Can I Do? I can meal prep so I won't have an excuse to run to the drive-through or order a pizza. If I must order take-out, I can research menu options ahead of time to know which foods from which restaurants are well balanced and reasonable in calories.
• Low intake of fats! I don't eat much dairy and tend to choose lean proteins in my diet.
• Cook with healthy fats such as olive oil and consume flaxseeds or nuts. These fats will help my body absorb nutrients better as well as assist in blood clotting, forming cell structures, and muscle movement. 
• Emotional Eating! Even though I don't necessarily use food as a coping mechanism, I definitely let my emotions lead my food choices. Celebration? Let's make a cake! Hard day? Let's go to happy hour and get some drinks and appetizers. Bored? Have a snack and watch TV. 
• I can make conscious choices to eat for nutrition and not just for fun. I'm already thinking of other ideas to treat my son when he has a good day. 
• Too Many Calories! This blog journey started because I was made shockingly aware of my recent weight gain. Although I may be eating the right foods, I am eating too much of them.
• I have started using a food tracker app in conjunction with measuring my portions. I think this will help me consume the right amount of calories that my body needs to function. Once I get back to recognizing what "normal" portions look like, I can use the app to help lose weight by creating a calorie deficit. 

MyFitnessPal app, powered by Under Armour

Phew! I've got some work ahead of me! Proper nutrition is so important and I am looking forward to re-calibrating my consumption to allow for maximum health. It will be important for me to remember that this journey is not linear and I will have days where I choose to eat the extra slice of pizza (and that's perfectly okay). By choosing the right foods to fuel my body on a regular basis, I can occasionally enjoy those treats without impacting my health.

References:

MyFitnessPal. (2018). App Icon [image]. Retrieved from www.myfitnesspal.com 

My Senior Communities. (2014). Thomas Edison Quote with Produce [image]. Retrieved from http://myseniorcommunities.com/thomas-edison-quote-on-the-future-of-preventing-and-curing-disease-with-nutrition/

The Goodhearted Woman. (2017). Gresham Farmer's Market [photograph]. Retrieved from https://thegoodheartedwoman.com/seasonal-eating/portland-area-farmers-market-guide/