How do you change dietary behaviour?

There are many ways to make small but effective changes to dietary behaviour. Here, we summarise a few practical steps:

• Try and follow a dietary pattern based on wholefoods
• Enjoy a variety of plant food: fruits, vegetables, legumes, wholegrain cereals, nuts, and seeds
• Make better choices around ultra-processed fast foods with high amounts of added sugars, unhealthy fats and salt
• Start small, with sustainable changes.

Practical tips around food

Simple, achievable changes are the best way to ensure long-term sustainable changes. You might like to consider the following examples:

© Deakin University 2021

Eating well on a budget

As discussed in the costs of dietary treatment, eating well does not have to be expensive. Here are some tips to help you succeed:

• Cook at home
  • Find a few simple base recipes as a backup (use the ModiMed supplementary information for ideas)
• Organise your fridge and pantry (stock up on frozen and canned veggies, oils, grains, legumes, and beans)
  • You could buy a small non-perishable item as an extra every time you do grocery shopping to stock up
  • Whenever cooking at home, make at least one extra portion to freeze for the future
• Plan your meals
  • Spend some time each week planning meals and making a grocery list
  • Aim to buy only the items on your grocery list while shopping
• Buy fresh produce in season and look for specials
  • Commonly, major supermarkets design the layout of foods so that the outer perimeter has the majority of fresh produce
  • Products placed on the upper and lower shelf are usually cheaper than those at the eye level
• Organise shopping and cooking groups
  • Shopping and cooking with friends or relatives could help share expenses, provide support and skills, and exchange knowledge (and fun!).

Your task

This is a great opportunity to prepare a plan for your dietary changes.