I was surfing the web today when I came across this page while on my way to visit the Food Network. The site basically asks you to share some changes you’ve made to improve your health (if you do, Country Crock will donate a “meal” to a charity). It got me thinking about what changes I’ve made, and can make, to improve my own health.
Right now I’m reading a little book called Potatoes not Prozac by Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons. I won’t talk too much about the book today but I will say it’s been helping me gradually change my eating habits and lifestyle. So now, let me list a few little changes I’ve been making to improve my health:
Keeping a food journal:
If you’ve ever been involved in a diet program (e.g. Weight Watchers) you’ve probably been told that keeping a record of what you eat is key to losing weight (like keeping track of your spendings is key to saving money). I’ve come to believe that yes, it can be very helpful, not only to help you lose weight, but also to help you understand how foods affect your body. In my food journal, I record what I eat and when I eat it, but I also take note of how I feel physically and emotionally at any given time. So if I record eating 5 pancakes at 11:30 and then record feeling sluggish and irritable at 12:15, I can probably conclude that too much sugar has a negative impact on my body and mind.
Eating 3 regular meals a day:
This change has actually been a real challenge for me. The idea is to eat 3 meals at regular intervals (leaving no more than 5-6 hours between meals) without snacking in between. (Aye, there’s the rub!) The word “meal” is important too - it means eating at least 2 nutritional foods in one sitting (so I guess my traditional orange juice and vitamin breakfast isn’t quite a meal).
Protein with every meal:
Potatoes not Prozac stresses including at least one serving of protein in every meal. Protein is key for the healing of tissue, the formation of bones and blood cells, building and preserving muscle, hormone production, maintaining a strong immune system, fighting cancer, and a lot more!
Those are a few changes I’m trying to make that I’ll hopefully continue to practice for decades to come (except for maybe the food journal thing). Feel free to share on this page what little (or drastic) changes you’ve made in terms of your eating and drinking habits to help improve your health. Let’s encourage one another in our quests for better health 
