Build a Healthy Eating Environment: Success and Your Surroundings

Picture yourself strolling through the park. You’re out to enjoy the pleasant, sunny day and see whether you can spot crocuses or other signs of spring. Instead, you see litter. You may try to ignore the discarded soda cans and fast-food bags, but before long, even the smallest pieces of trash distract you. Your walk is spoiled, and you head for home.

Your surroundings, good or bad, can have a big impact on your attitude and actions. You can — and should — apply this idea of successful surroundings to your plan. But you can’t wait for the park commission to come in to clean up your personal environment. It’s your job to plan and create surroundings that will help you reach your goal. Planning means filling your environment with healthy foods you enjoy and removing barriers to healthy eating.

This Healthy Eating article will help you create an environment that can help you eat healthy — an important part of your diabetes control.

• It describes a step-by-step plan for creating a healthy eating environment by identifying barriers to your success and eliminating or modifying them so that they are no longer stumbling blocks on your path to success.
• It walks you through the process of creating your own healthy eating environment.

Step 1: Identify

First, look around your home, office, car, and any other potential eating sites.

• Identify potential barriers to your success.
  • Is your favorite candy sitting in a jar on your desk?
  • Are your favorite cookies sitting on the kitchen counter?
• Look for helpful tools to help you overcome these barriers.
  • Are the healthy food choices available at home and elsewhere?
  • Are self-monitoring tools such as your food journal and blood glucose monitor handy?

Step 2: Modify

Once you have identified both the eating challenges and the healthy tools around you, you can begin to modify the barriers to healthy eating and capitalize on the positives. The goal of modifying your environment is to make healthy eating as simple as possible.

• Remove the barriers.
  • Clean out the cupboards at home, the desk drawers at work, and any other places where you may have stashed tempting edibles that may slow your progress.
  • Remember, no foods are forbidden, but you’ll find that it’s easier to control how often and how much of these foods you eat if they are out of sight, out of reach.
• Capitalize on the positives. Develop a plan for grocery shopping, such as planning your meals and making a shopping list before you head to the store.
• Stock the refrigerator and cupboards at home with Glucerna SR™ products and healthy foods.
• Buy an insulated lunch bag and cold packs to keep fruits and vegetables cool and handy at work or on the go.
• Keep a supply of convenient Glucerna SR products anywhere else you’re likely to eat on the go.

Step 3: Take Control

Now you’ve re-created your eating environment and cleared your surroundings of some serious stumbling blocks to your success. Now, take what you have learned to complete the Personal Plan and use these skills as you complete this program.

Creating a Healthy Environment: Your Personal Plan

Step 1: Identify

Think about your personal surroundings, then answer the following:

1. What foods in your home will be a challenge to your healthy eating habits and blood sugar control?

   Sweets

   Snack foods

   Sodas and other caloric beverages (hot cocoa, cappuccino, juice drinks, sports drinks, coffee creamer. Check labels for calorie content.)

   Other

2. What foods and situations will be a challenge to your healthy eating habits?

   Vending machines

   Candy/snack jars

   Birthday and anniversary celebrations

   Cafeteria/restaurants/break room

   Other

3. What challenges will you face in other places?

   Car

   Home of friends or family

   Place of worship

   Clubs or meetings

   Other

4. What will help you succeed at home, at work, and elsewhere?

   Example: Instead of cookies in the cookie jar on the counter, I will keep inspirational messages written on little pieces of paper there to help keep me on track.

Step 2: Modify

Create a plan to change your surroundings to better support your success:

1. Remove the barriers at home:
   • Discard tempting foods and beverages. Consider donating unopened, nonperishable items to a local food pantry.
   • If others in your household keep tempting foods on hand, talk to them about finding storage places that are less visible and challenging for you.
   • Other
      
2. Remove the barriers away from home:
   • Remove candy jars and empty-calorie snack foods from your personal workspace.
   • Limit the temptation of vending machines by not carrying cash.
   • Find a different path through the office to add extra steps and avoid trips past the break room or other areas where sweets and other snacks are stored.
   • Other
      
3. Remove barriers elsewhere:
   • “Pay at the pump” to avoid snacking temptations inside the gas station.
   • Give meals and snacks your full attention. Reading, driving, or watching television can distract you from the pleasures of your food, and you may not notice that you’re already full.
   • Take an active role in planning the menu for meetings and gatherings. Be sure to include plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, and other low-calorie, nutritious foods, and limit the empty-calorie temptations.
   • Other
      
   Once you have removed the obstacles, re-create your environment!
4. Make healthy eating easy:
   • Make a grocery list and shop. Fill the refrigerator and cupboards with Glucerna SR products and other healthy options.
   • Develop a plan or schedule for regular visits to the grocery store so you always have the foods you need on hand.
   • Keep pencil and paper handy in the kitchen to make a list of important items as you run low.
   • Keep healthy foods easy and visible. Buy precut, ready-to-eat vegetables and fresh fruits. Keep them visible and easy to grab in the refrigerator instead of in the bottom drawer.
   • Have measuring spoons, cups, and a scale handy to measure portion sizes.
   • Use an insulated lunch bag and cold packs to keep meal replacements, fruits, and vegetables chilled and handy at work or when you’re on the go.
   • Keep a supply of extra meal replacement beverages and bars at work in case you forget your lunch bag.
   • Keep a few nutritious snacks in your briefcase or purse as a meal backup plan, especially when you travel or are on the go.
5. What else can you do to make healthy eating easy?
   • Example: I will make my lunch the night before work when I have time, rather than in the morning when I am rushed.
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Step 3: Succeed

Now you’ve re-created your environment to make healthy eating easier. The last step is to make every effort to maintain these supportive surroundings so you can succeed at healthy eating and reaching your diabetes control goals.

Summary

• Identify the barriers in your environment — home, work, car, and so on — that may trip you up on your path to healthy eating and meeting your diabetes control goals.
• Modify and re-create your environment so that you are surrounded by healthy foods and opportunities for healthy activities.
• Succeed by applying what you have learned about modifying barriers.