Baby Steps and Tiny Habits
How do you reach a goal? You know where you’d like to be, but how do you get there?
We've talked a great deal about the health benefits of moving toward a plant-centered diet, and perhaps you are starting to see why eating more plants might be a good idea. But, how do you get from wanting to add more plants into your diet to actually eating a diet full of whole plant foods?
Instead of trying to make a huge dietary change all at once, which may be overwhelming, I encourage you to choose one small change that you can really master. Pick one tiny thing and get really comfortable with it and make it part of your routine, so that it fits easily and without too much effort into your lifestyle. Once that little change has become a well-established habit, you can then layer on another small change.
In his book, Tiny Habits, author and Stanford behavior scientist, B.J. Fogg, discusses why making tiny changes which then become habits can be a powerful tool in achieving your long-term goals. You can read a brief recap of his work in this NPR article. www.npr.org/2020/02/25/809256398/tiny-habits-are-the-key-to-behavioral-change
Here are some small actions you might consider taking to improve your health:
Pick one new fruit or veggie every time you go to the store.
Try a plant-based milk.
Change from white rice to brown rice.
Buy whole-grain bread instead of white bread.
Add in a daily fermented food. Even a couple bites of sauerkraut or kimchi daily will go a long way to improving your microbiome.
Make overnight oats every evening for your breakfast the next morning.
Change from a food that has additives and fillers (like Jif peanut butter) to a food that is made only from whole plant foods (like Adam's peanut butter).
Have a salad every day for lunch.
Eat one meatless meal a day, or even one meatless meal a week (Meatless Mondays).
It doesn't have to be a big thing that you decide to change. Start with something tiny.
Is there a tiny action that you would be willing to commit to trying? I'd love to hear what baby steps you are ready to take?
With encouragement and solidarity,
🌱💕