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!

Helpful Links to Create Fruit & Veggie Lovers (WEEK 5)

Hey everyone!

I wanted to take this blog opportunity to share some helpful links that I have come across in my goal to increase my fruits & veggies intake! We all know that fruits and veggies have been linked to better health overall including improved immune system, a great source of fiber and nutrients...and the list goes on! It also can be helpful in reducing risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.

Although everyone knows the health benefits of fruits and veggies, it can be hard to take the next step and ensure that they are getting enough of these healthy treats in their daily diet. In my quest to learn more about the health benefits of fruits and veggies and the different ways to make them fun and exciting to eat, I have come across some helpful links to encourage me along the way!

This link is about a CDC program that strives to increase consumption of fruits & veggies:
http://www.fruitsandveggiesmatter.gov/qa/index.html#importance

It has great FAQ and it even has a fantastic "tips" section that gives you advice on how to incorporate fruits & veggies in your daily meals!

Another great link that some may already be aware of is:
www.livestrong.com

It has great information on healthy lifestyles including exercise and nutrition. It has a google search box in which you can type "fruits and veggies" and it will list all the articles and resources the website has regarding your search topic. I found great articles on fruits that help you lose weight and the different health benefits of specific fruits and veggies.

I hope everyone gets a chance to check out these great websites! They're a great resource for others who want to increase their fruits and veggies intake or who just want to improve their overall health!

Cheers!

Overcoming barriers AKA food temptations (WEEK 4)

Hey everyone!

So last week I did some grocery shopping and I have to say, I am proud of myself for resisting the temptation to buy some of my favorite (unhealthy) snacks! Per my last post, I made a grocery list and actually bought everything on there without allowing my eyes to be diverted by the cleverly advertised aisles with snacks galore!

GROCERY LIST:

• apples
• wheat bread
• cold cut turkey
• oatmeal
• grapes
• carrots
• blueberries
• whole grain pasta
• peanut butter
• mango sorbet (a little treat!)
• lettuce
• vinaigrette dressing

Looks pretty good, right!? Well, although I've been doing pretty well so far (up to about 3 servings of fruits/veggies per day) there are some barriers that I face, however I have a few ideas of how to overcome them!

Barrier 1: FOOD CRAVINGS
I probably don't need to explain these to anyone, because we all have them! I definitely have a sweet tooth, and with that comes all kinds of cravings...but I have looked into alternatives! I read a few health articles that said that a few squares of dark chocolate can not only satisfy the sweet tooth cravings, but can also be great for heart health. So I'm definitely gonna turn to this (in small doses of course!) when I have the snack cravings.

Barrier 2: BOREDOM
Fruits and veggies are yummy and colorful and all, but they can get boring when you're trying to eat them on a daily basis. In order to overcome this barrier, I have looked into ways to make fruits and veggies exciting and fun to eat! For example, I have found that freezing blueberries and eating them right out of the freezer can be a very yummy snack! I'm currently on the hunt for other fun ways to eat fruits and veggies, so if you know of any, lemme know!

Barrier 3: LAZINESS
To be honest, laziness sometimes gets the best of me when attempting to eat healthy. Of course, everyone wants convenience and ease when you're home from a long day and want something quick and YUMMY to eat! I think the best way to overcome this is to prepare some meals that include veggies and keep them in the fridge to eat when I get hungry. Also, I think it's a good idea to prepare fruits (clean & cut them up) and put them in Tupperware containers so that I can just open them up and start eating!

Putting these barriers in writing actually helps a lot, because I'm more aware of them and will consciously try to overcome them! Wish me luck everyone!!!! :D :D

Grocery shopping for a girl who loves lists! (WEEK 3)

I must confess that I am one of those super organized people that LOVES to have lists for anything from shopping to homework to-do checklists. This can definitely come in handy when I go grocery shopping, because it would encourage me to stick to the list rather than straying to the snack aisle and purchasing my comfort snacks that I have a love hate relationship with. I love that they taste good...but I hate that they have contributed to my ever growing muffin top!

This past weekend, I went back home to visit my family and received plenty of encouragement from my parents regarding my fruits and veggies goal. My mom is a huge health food enthusiast and tries her best to make us all eat healthy, but she has her work cut out with me (snack lover to the core)! My mom is my inspiration for getting my nutritional habits back on track and adopt a healthier lifestyle. For this reason, I decided to go grocery shopping with her this weekend to get an idea of the types of foods that should be on my grocery lists. My mom definitely helped me gain some perspective and REALLY encouraged me to commit to curb the snacking and increase the fruits and veggies. I'm excited to take the things I learned and use them when I go grocery shopping the next time! After talking to my mom, I think I realized that as a young person, it's important to take her advice and develop healthy habits that I can maintain and implement in my daily life. As a person who likes routine (and lists) as long as I repeatedly eat fruits and veggies each week, it will be easier for me to adopt the change in the long run simply because I'm used to it and expect it in my daily routine. I think it's safe to say being a list aficionado will help me in achieving my goal!

Food does matter! (WEEK 2)

Before I divulge my progress thus far, I wanted to share a film I think everyone might enjoy. I viewed an excellent documentary last week entitled, "Food Matters" which provided me with excellent information regarding the importance of a healthy diet. It re-emphasized the saying, "you are what you eat" and experts from the field of nutrition provided nutritional facts that unfortunately are not common knowledge. I encourage everyone to watch it, because I guarantee you will learn something new...I did!

Since my last post, I have have been wholeheartedly active in achieving my goal, which I am very proud of! Usually after class I grab a quick bite to eat with friends, which can be problematic because after class I'm famished and I'm almost always craving a big (unhealthy) meal. My typical meal of choice would be a sandwich with french fries, chicken fingers, pasta...see a running theme here?? However, since I started this blog I can honestly say that I have been choosing the healthier option which includes plenty of fruits and veggies. For example, last week I ate out twice with friends and opted for salads on the menu with balsamic dressing. Bonus points for me for choosing a healthy dressing considering my favorite is ranch!

What is the reason for my sudden change of heart? My motivation to change stems from my desire to be healthy and to have more energy throughout the day. The day to day grind involves a lot of stress stemming from work, school, etc. Often times I find myself physically exhausted and drained of energy. I believe this lack of energy is due to my diet, which in the past has been lacking in fruit and veggies but abundant in carbs and calories. I think that it's time to take responsibility and instead of complaining about being tired all the time, I'm going to do something to change that! Incorporating fruits and veggies into my diet hasn't been that difficult so far and although it might be too early to tell, I'm hoping that this diet makeover will provide me with more energy to tackle the day...wish me luck!

Welcome to the Veggie Chronicles (WEEK 1)

As a current graduate student, making sure I eat right is often difficult to prioritize in my day-to-day routine. Considering I have a cupboard full of snacks and an empty vegetable/fruit drawer in the fridge, I thought it would be beneficial to me to limit my snacking and incorporate fruits and vegetables in my daily diet. I've also realized after a recent trip to the grocery store that I usually purchase the same items: frozen foods, unhealthy granola bars and a variety of chips and snacking items. In order to improve my nutritional habits, I have decided to create a nutritional goal for myself that I will try to achieve during this academic semester. My overall goal is to eliminate the unhealthy snacks I eat from my diet (i.e. chips, cookies, etc.) and incorporate at least 4-6 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.

Each week I will be providing an update of my successes and possible missteps (hopefully there won't be many of those). In order to help myself along the way, I will commit to creating a list of healthy foods to buy when I visit the grocery store so that I don't purchase and consume unhealthy snacks. I will also look into recipes in which I can find versatile ways to incorporate fruits and veggies into my diet. Wish me luck on my journey to creating a healthier and more nutritious version of myself!!