Fraser Health has been a huge a supporter of Nutrition Month this year, featuring what dietitians in the health authority have done last month. They featured two of us dietitians as we chronicled our 100 meal journey. As a way to end off the month, they asked me the below questions. It was an excuse to reflect on the past 100 meals and how extremely beneficial this year’s theme was for me!

What did you learn about yourselves while doing the #100MealJourney?

• That making a small change is really difficult. I focussed on strategies that I provide my clients/patients, including thinking ahead, meal preparation in advance, keeping healthy choices in the home, and stuck with it for 100 meals. The great thing about this year’s Nutrition Month theme was that it involved a small change – by repeating this change for the past 100 meals, I was able to make it part of my weekly/daily routine. For me, that was preparing my veggie based snacks for the week and getting in more nutrient dense foods into my diet!

What surprised you the most about your #100MealJourney?

• The importance of a support system and the influence of those around you. My partner is a fitness geek who really cares about what he eats. Having his support by helping with the preparation of snacks and purchasing healthy foods so we have an abundance of choices in the home really helped with this whole process. The influence of family and friends to support your nutrition goals will make the process a lot easier!

What’s one tip you will incorporate into your eating going forward?

• Always prepare in advance. My goal to incorporate more vegetables into my diet would not have been as much of a success if I didn’t prepare my snacks for the week into individual portion at the beginning of the week. It made it easy to grab and go each morning and one less thing to worry about when packing my lunch for the next day!

What is the one piece of essential advice you would give to someone who wants to start eating better?

• Don’t be hard on yourself – no one is perfect, not even dietitians! Trying to make lifestyle changes can be hard. Make small steps towards the right direction and don’t be feel terrible if you want to treat yourself. It’s an unrealistic expectation to eat “perfectly” 100% of the time. The 80/20 rule (where you choose healthy choices 80% of the time and less healthy options guilt free 20% of the time) is the way to go!

Check out the full article here to see me featured on The Beat! How did your 100 meal journey go? Got any tips and tricks to share? Please fire them over in the comments!