Personal Nutrition Behavioral Change Analysis

Personal Nutrition Behavioral Change Project

This project focuses on applying nutritional knowledge to your own behavior.  (The application of nutritional knowledge equals doing!)   The Project will have three parts:

Part one is setting the goals and action plan (see example below)

Part two is carrying out (actually doing) the plan, and keeping a log or diary of the progress you make throughout the semester.

Part three is the final write-up/analysis of how you did including relevant research.  See below for details on each part.

Part One: Goals and Action Plan

Decide on an area of nutrition that you want to make a change in.  Write up your goals and action plan.  Use S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely).

Use the 3 headers:  Goals; Reasons: Action Plan

Example:

Goal:  Eat healthier by limiting Fast Foods to no more than once a week and by preparing at least two meals at home per week with less (“less” needs to be defined) processed food.

Reasons:  I eat a lot of fast (unhealthy) food as I have a busy schedule.  No one cooks at home anymore.  Right now I eat fast food about 5 times a week.

Action Plan:  (should all be specific and quantified)

1. Plan out weekly menu on Sunday for meals I will make during the upcoming week. Plan is to include at least two home cooked meals.  Also on Sunday, go to the grocery store and buy all necessary ingredients for meals and lunches.
2. Limit fast food to once a week.
3. Pack lunches 3 days a week.

Part Two:  Action and  Logging the action  (TYPE!

Start your action plan and keep a log or diary of your progress.  We will do the action part of the project for 4 weeks.  The log can be done on a calendar or can be written as a diary.  Each week should be commented on and summarized; how specifically did you do that week?  Must be typed

Write down only relevant/goal related parts!

Example(diary):  

February 1. Made plan for the week, and shopped for the items on the plans.  No fast food.

February 2.  Stopped at McDonalds for dinner.  Packed lunch for lunch.  Cooked dinner at home

Feb. 3  No fast food for lunch; ate packed lunch.  Stopped at KFC for dinner. ( ran out of time to cook this week, forgot about evening birthday party)

Feb. 4^th no fast food, and packed lunch;  Cooked dinner at home.

Etc….

Summary of first week

“Feb. 1-7 week:  This week I did fairly well.  I met my goal to plan my meals and shop for them on Sunday.  I also met the “packed lunch” goal.  I ended up doing fast food twice this week (limit is one), so missed that goal by one.”

Part Three: The write-up.

Your write-up (analysis of how you did) should include how you did quantitatively, relevant research, and commentary/reflection that you have done.  The research element should include several (at least four, your text can be one) sources of information that supported your decision to make the changes that you have made.

Summarize specifically how you did quantitively!  Tell me how you met your goals, or not.  For example:  you could say that you met 80% (you need to calculate!) of goal one which was to Limit your fast food eating to once a week.  Or if you want to state it using other numbers, you can. For example,  “I ate out at a fast food place only 3 times, and my goal was 2.”  Just be clear as to what your progress was.  Do this with all of your goals.

You should also be reflective; comment on what helped you and what hindered you in keeping to your plan.

The final write-up analysis should be about two and no more than three pages in length.  The paper should be either MLA or APA writing style.  References should be listed in a Works Cited page and information should be cited within the text.

Submit all parts of the assignment: the 3 parts in the following order:

1.  Original or Edited Goals and Action Plan,
2.  Log or Diary, with weekly summaries
3.  Analysis write-up.