Nutrition and Health Promotion (Essay Sample)

Nutrition and health promotion
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Introduction
Good nutrition and a healthy lifestyle go hand in hand. What a person eats is what makes them. For example, a person cannot eat healthy foods to be weak. There is a statement that says, “When diet is wrong medicine is of no use, and when the diet is correct, medicine is of no need." This statement serves to show the impact of diet on health. Every function of the body is aided by certain nutrients that can only be found in the diet. However, too much of various food is dangerous, which necessitates moderation and healthy eating. Most of the diseases people suffer today are caused by poor nutrition and eating disorders. Thus good nutrition can help reduce non-communicable diseases, maintain a healthy weight, and promote good health in general. The purpose of this paper is to assess my eating habits, identify an area that I lack in terms of nutrients, and the changes required to promote healthy eating and good health.
Assessment and planning
My health goal was to improve my iron intakes by taking foods that are rich in iron and vitamin-like vitamin C and vitamin B9. I made this decision following an assessment of my food intake according to the Canada food guide and realized I do not take most of the food that provides iron in the body. Some of these food include vegetables, legumes, and nuts, among others. I planned to take at least 18mg of iron per day from both food and supplements. The first thing I identified the food that provided iron in the body and did market research to identify those that were within my vicinity. Some of the foodstuffs that I decided to include in my daily plate include green vegetables, nuts, lentils, soybeans, and fruits like bananas and apples. To boost the absorption of iron, I also identified food and fruits with vitamin C like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and oranges, among others (Saunders et al. 2013). I came up with a strategy that involved keeping a food journal for a week to get a personal dietician to help me with calculations and the process, to take a daily intake of 18mg of iron and incorporate exercise in my schedule. Another strategy involved coming up with a weekly meal plan with my dietician to make sure I take enough iron, avoid unhealthy eating behaviors like taking too many snacks and processed food. I also resolved to be taking plenty of water.
At the end of this plan, I expected to achieve overall good health, especially iron intake. The benefits that I expected from this plan include having a good supply of blood and oxygen in the body. Maintain good health through eating healthy and exercise, and keep diseases that are caused by poor nutrition at bay. However, I was keen on possible barriers and challenges to achieving my goals. Some of the challenges were unrealistic goals, time management issues due to tight schedules, lack of discipline, and procrastination. The knowledge helped me in a great deal to lay out my strategy. Due to my tight daily schedule, I came up with a time management plan, which could enable me to accommodate all the day-to-day activities including making a healthy diet and go for a session of exercise with my trainer. I joined a group of other people on a diet improvement plan, which was a big motivation. I feared I might set goals that I would fail to accomplish; therefore, I made sure I made realistic and achievable goals. Healthy behavior change is difficult and research as shown that some people fail due to lack of discipline, knowledge and even time management issues (Kelly et al. 2016)
Implementation
Various factors influenced my progress as I implemented my plan on practicing healthy eating. Some of these influencers include procrastination. Before I started the implementation of my strategy, I kept postponing, which was a significant impediment.
Another thing that influenced my progress was tight schedules that left me without enough time. I was also faced with the problem of a lack of timely supply of foodstuff, especially the vegetables. It is not surprising that most of these barriers were the ones that I feared I would come across. To overcome the implementation challenges, I read resources that offered a remedy for the same. One article I read about procrastination suggested four ways of overcoming it, which included setting a reward, dealing with my fears, and eliminating distractions (Cherry, 2019).
Though I struggled with some of my goals, I was successful in other through various intervention. I managed to achieve a daily intake of 18mg of iron by incorporating various foodstuffs with iron and supplements. My dietician was as helpful in this as he kept reminding me of my goals and checking on me. I also achieved the purpose of taking plenty of water. I realized the recommended eight glasses a day. With the help of my dietician, I successfully came up with a meal plan. Even though at first, I was not able to follow it, due to problems of time management and food supply, I later managed to overcome the barrier. I could make sure I buy food in bulk and store. However, I still have time to keep with the daily exercise.
To reach goal