Final Update Wrap-up

Hey Everyone!

This is my last post of the semester! This has definitely felt like a long semester, but it's finally coming to an end, and along with it concludes my first year of grad school! My fruits and veggies goal this semester was a bit challenging for me considering I wasn't eating a whole lot of fruits and veggies on a daily basis. However, once I started increasing my fruits and veggies intake I have discovered that:

1.) I now crave fruits and veggies
2.) I tend to feel out of sorts if I am not eating 4-6 servings of fruits and veggies per day
3.) Eating fruits and veggies has led to overall healthier habits (no snacking on junk food)
4.) I signed up at my local gym and have been going 3 times a week!

Overall, I'm glad I chose increasing my fruits and veggie intake as a goal for myself. I feel that I have come a long way and I am now learning to incorporate fruits and veggies into my daily diet. Creating this goal and this blog has made me see how difficult it is to change behaviors. It was a great activity for us future public health professionals considering we will be asking individuals to change their behaviors constantly.

Thank you for everyone for your support and keeping up with my blog!!!

Time for an update!!

Hello everyone!

It has been a couple weeks since my last update...the semester is starting to wrap up which usually means chaos and craziness! I've been actually doing pretty well on my fruits and veggies goal. I find myself consciously assessing how many fruits/veggies I've consumed throughout the day and actively seeking more fruits/veggies if I feel I haven't met my 4-6 servings/day. I've also found that through this goal I am more conscious of other foods I eat. I do all my own grocery shopping, so I am always reading the labels for the sodium, fat and caloric content and I am often shocked by what I see. I have also been going to the 24 hour fitness near my apartment about 3 times a week ( I walk there, yay for me!) which has kept me active. I think the fruits/veggies goal has been a gateway to healthier habits overall, which has greatly benefited me so far. I will be striving to make sure that these habits stick even after this class has ended. :D

Week 10 Update

Last week was a good week for me as far as meeting my goal. I am now up to about 3-4 servings of fruits/veggies per day. I've reached the point where I now crave fruits and vegetables. I've also been making an effort to incorporate different fruits/veggies that I don't normally eat. For example, last week I went home and my mom had a big bowl of kiwis, mango and pineapple, which I wholeheartedly devoured :D I've also signed up for a new gym membership so I'm on way to adding weekly physical activity to my fruits/veggies goal.

On another note, I thought this website was pretty informative, it gives a visual representation of what a cup or 1/2 cup serving of fruits and veggies looks like.

http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=63

WEEK 9 A Minor Setback

Last week was spring break and I think I might have become a bit lazy in my goal last week. I ate out a lot last week, which means I didn't eat a lot of fruits and veggies. When I take the effort to prepare my own meals, even if it's a simple sandwich I take great pains to make sure that I'm getting my 4-6 servings of fruits and veggies for the day. However, when I'm eating out, I'm not typically concerned with scanning the menu for items with fruits and veggies. As a result, last week I was down to 2 servings of fruits and veggies per day with a banana for breakfast and perhaps an apple for a snack each day. On the bright side, at least I didn't completely go off track, just lower than my usual fruits and veggies intake.

I did notice a difference this week overall as far as my energy level, etc. as a result of not having the 4-6 servings of fruits and veggies I have been accustomed to these last couple months. I found myself losing energy throughout the day and just feeling out of sorts. I have definitely experienced the benefits of having fruits and veggies and I'm determined to keep it up. This week is going to be different though, because I've already done my grocery shopping, which included LOTS of fruits and veggies, which will all be consumed...I promise! :D :D

WEEK 8 Update

This week has been crazy with midterms and a paper due, so my goal got a little lost in the mix of the chaos. I ate out a lot this past week including Pick Up Stix (no veggie content) and Chipotle (semi-veggie, but not substantial veggie content). I think I will have to incorporate snacking on fruits and veggies while I study and write papers in order to increase my intake. I'm trying to switch up my fruit/veggie intake by trying different combinations of fruit and veggies each week. This can also help relieve the boredom that results from eating the same fruits and veggies each week. This past week I had bananas, tomatoes, apples and hummus. So I'm going to make an effort to buy a different combination of fruits and veggies the next time I go grocery shopping. I'll keep you all updated on my progress!

WEEK 7 Update

Thought I would give everyone an update on my fruits & veggies goal for this week. I've been consistently making sure to buy fruits and veggies when I go grocery shopping which encourages me to incorporate it in my daily meals. So far my favorite fruits & veggies have been:

Cherry tomatoes (so sweet & yummy!)

Frozen blueberries

Mini carrots (dipped in hummus...mmmmm!)

Dried cranberries

Bananas (on toast with Nutella!)

I'm on the look-out for more fun ways to eat fruits and veggies, so let me know if you have any suggestions!

Have a great weekend!!!

Challenges (WEEK 6)

Hey everyone!

I hope everyone had a great 3 day weekend! It's time for my weekly update! This week's theme is challenges...we've all faced them at some point in trying to achieve a goal. I've faced some challenges in my attempt to increase my fruits and veggies intake while simultaneously decreasing my "snacking" habits. One situation in particular was after a particularly long day in which I had 2 classes back to back and a group project meeting afterwards. During these long days I usually bring a snack with me or have lunch to sustain me so I don't go on a food binge when I get home! On this day i forgot to bring snacks so I got super hungry at the end of the day and by the time I got home, I was not ready to contemplate how to incorporate veggies in my food. I ended up picking up Chipotle (which does have some veggies, but the caloric content probably counters that). Plus, cooked veggies lose a lot of their nutritional value when you cook them. I did learn my lesson and went to Trader Joe's the next day and stocked up on some healthy snacks (carrot sticks, strawberries, & some cashews/almonds). I'm now prepared for those crazy days that leave me eating anything in sight!