You already know What choices are better for you. But you still aren’t making them.

Ready to explore the who, what, when, where, why and how of achieving your goals to eat better?

WHO: Are you making changes to your eating patterns for yourself or for someone else? If the answer is someone else, such as a significant other who wants you to eat more like them, a family member who disagrees with your choices, the healthcare professional who warns you of impending doom, or even the media that insists you should be eating the latest superfood, you will struggle to meet their expectations. Not only will changing your eating habits be a battle, the effects can ripple out in the form of anxiety, self judgement, or anger. Any of these feelings will have more negative effect on your health than a poor eating choice. Only you can decide if changing your eating pattern is something that is right for you.

WHAT: OK, so you have a pretty good idea of what choices are better for you. I think we all agree that fresh, whole foods from the produce, meat, and dairy sections of the store are best choices to make up the majority of what goes into our mouths. So if you aren’t making these choices, the question is what beliefs do you have around them that stops you? Too expensive, hard, boring? Being different from the crowd? Where did these beliefs come from? If they no longer serve you, why do you cling to them?

WHEN: If you eat when you are hungry, score a point! If you eat too often when you are bored, sad, lonely, stressed, or pressured by others, you are more likely to make poor food choices and your health will suffer for it. Our bodies are designed to be “batch processors”. What this means is that one batch of food should be fully digested and absorbed before the next batch is eaten, generally 2-4 hours.

WHERE: We all “Dashboard Dine” from time to time. That’s a part of modern, 1st world life for a lot of people. But really, the environment where you eat is important. Your body has a hard time properly digesting food and taking in nourishment if you are eating in an overstimulating atmosphere. At least stop the car someplace where there is an interesting view, and turn off the engine. Ideally, meals are eaten in a place set aside for the purpose of dining. Your home kitchen of course, and also the workplace break room, or a picnic table in the park. The point is to step away from the days activity and take some time for self care in a place that allows your body to relax and lower it’s defenses

WHY: Which phrase do you agree with more? “Eat to live”, or  “live to eat”? Is food simply fuel to get you through the day, or more of an indulgence to look forward to? What is the motivation behind the food choices you make? Is it so you can have more energy to do the things you love? Is it to lose weight? Is your goal to stay out of the doctors office by keeping your body healthy?

HOW: Standing up? Watching TV? Doing office work? Giving your attention away from the food in front of you takes away the pleasure that a meal can bring. Worse, the body doesn’t get the signal that it’s been fed. How many times have you looked down to discover the plate is empty and you don’t really remember eating the food? Having some kind of ritual, no matter how brief, can help bring your focus to the act you are about to perform. Taking a moment to feel gratitude for the food in front of you, for example. Or my personal favorite, contemplating all the people and steps involved in the food reaching your plate.

By simply becoming Aware each of these 5 W’s you are already beginning a new habit. Take the next step and begin to consciously choose to change one “W” at a time and watch your healthy eating habits begin to grow!