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Behavior Change Assignment 1

Behavior Change Assignment

Experts have severally proved that different individual health behaviors closely relate to our health. One of such behaviors is fruit and vegetable intake (De Leon et al., 2020). Several studies widely accept that fruits and vegetables are crucial to day-to-day lifestyle and positively affect personal health (Agudo, 2020). The primary merit of consuming the proper number of fruits and vegetables is that the activity is a proactive measure of combating several diseases. Most importantly, scientists associate this activity with reducing exposure to the most prevalent conditions today, such as diabetes, blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity.

Additionally, the activity has improved health, including better vision and maintaining proper health status. Spinach, collards, and kales are excellent eyesight boosters (Agudo, 2020). The features that enable the two to accomplish such advantages are that they are rich in minerals such as potassium and vitamin C. they are also a good source of dietary fiber, which is considered an excellent remedy to digestion problems such as constipation (De Leon et al., 2020). Dietary fiber is also a great player in minimizing bowel cancer risks.

On the other hand, insufficient fruit and vegetable intake has been linked with increased risks of contracting several chronic diseases (Hodder et al., 2020). Research has shown that a low intake of fruits and vegetables leads to three percent of global deaths. It means approximately 1.7 million people. Additionally, 9 percent of stroke, 14 percent of gastrointestinal cancer, and 11 percent of ischaemic heart disease deaths have resulted from insufficient fruit and vegetable intake (Hodder et al., 2020). Therefore, low intake is one of the factors leading to the worldwide burden of noncommunicable diseases.

Interventions of Coping with Low Fruits and Vegetable Intake

One of the interventions that contribute to increasing the amount of fruit and vegetable consumption is starting small and growing gradually. It may mean including fruit in your favorite dishes. Another effective activity is substituting a usual side item with a vegetable or fruit (Głąbska, 2020). Instead of using a typical side item with high sugar or salt composition, replacing them with an easy and tasty fruit like an orange, apple, or green beans is healthy.

Centering a meal around a fruit or vegetable is also effective in boosting their intake. The vegetable will no longer be a side item since it will be incorporated into the main meal. Recipes that can support this activity include spinach quiche, spaghetti squash, and a black bean burger (Davis et al., 2021). Another effective way to intervene in fruit and vegetable consumption is ringing them as on-the-go snacks. An example is bringing an apple with natural nut butter (Agudo, 2020). Starting a garden is also helpful since it can help get fruits without too much hassle.

Scientists suggest that one should consume at least 400 grams of fruits and vegetables per day (Hodder et al., 2020). In this study, I will examine whether I reach the scientific suggestion of daily fruit and vegetable consumption. If I am currently taking less than the scientific threshold, I find these interventions helpful in increasing the number of fruits and vegetables I now consume.

Method

Several people ignore the number of fruits and vegetables they take (Głąbska, 2020). I am one of such people, making it easy to fail to reach the recommended intake amount. In several instances, I like carrying snacks such as biscuits, sausages, and soft drinks during most activities, such as road trips and resting time. Therefore, this observation has been an indicator that I am most likely to miss the scientific threshold of fruits and vegetable intake.

One common way to determine these foods intake is the food frequency questionnaires (FFQs). The method involves creating a food list after a 24-hour diet recall study, categorizing food items, and assigning food frequency intake and portion size. This method helped me group the foods classified as fruits and vegetables. Also, the food diary method helped me keep a proper record of the rate at which I consumed the two foods.

Since the recommended size of 400 grams intake is likened to five cups of the foods, I started by finding out what makes up one portion of the cups (Davis et al., 2021). The intake rate was recommended by the World Health Organization and was named five a day initiative (Agudo, 2020). Some of the easy options I found are one piece of apple and one piece of banana from one portion each. Additionally, I looked for other foods that were readily made containing specific amounts of the five-a-day portions. Another essential step I learned is that a handful or tablespoonful measurement would be effective for vegetables. A tablespoonful would represent one unit of cooked vegetables. After understanding what foods would contain the five-a-day portions, I began to record the foods I ate each day for ten days without altering my usual diet.

Before applying intervention practices, the food I consumed contained the 5-a-day portions listed in figure 1.

Day	Portions contained in each meal	Total portions
Day 1	Breakfast; Pancakes-1 portion Lunch; Two bananas-2 portions Dinner; N/A	3
Day 2	Breakfast; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions Lunch; Carrots-1 portion Dinner; 3 tablespoons of cooked beans-3 portions	7
Day 3	Breakfast; Banana and toast wrap-1 portion Lunch; N/A Dinner; 3 tablespoons of green spinach-3 portions	4
Day 4	Breakfast; 1 banana-1 portion Lunch; 1 banana-1 portion Dinner; 2 apples-2 portions	4
Day 5	Breakfast; Pancakes-1 portion Lunch; Two tablespoons of cooked beans-2 portions Dinner; 1 apple-1 portion	4
Day 6	Breakfast; N/A Lunch; 2 tablespoons of cooked beans and green kales-4 portions Dinner; 2 oranges-2 portions	6
Day 7	Breakfast; 1 banana-1 portion Lunch; 1 banana-1 portion Dinner; 2 apples-2 portions	4
Day 8	Breakfast; Toast and banana wraps-1 portion Lunch; 2 mangoes-2 portions Dinner; 3 tablespoons-3 portions	6
Day 9	Breakfast; Yoghurt with berries- 1 portion Lunch; Roast vegetable salad-3 portions Dinner; 2 bananas-2 portions	6
Day 10	Breakfast; N/A Lunch; Asparagus ricotta pizza-1 portion Dinner; Avocado-1 portion	2

The data showed that the number of 5-a-day portions I consumed was inconsistent. I reached the threshold in some cases, while the intake amount was too low in others. Therefore, I decided to implement the intervention method to ensure that each meal contained at least one portion of the five. I found blending the main meal with at least one portion practical. Additionally, I decided to replace most of my snacks with fruits. It helped me reach the minimum requirement easily since most fruits form one portion. Therefore, eating two fruits at the same time was helpful. However, sometimes it became difficult to remember to include fruits during every meal. After the intervention application, I consumed the five-a-day portions, as shown in figure 2.

Day	Portions contained in each meal	Total portions
Day 1	Breakfast; Toast and banana wraps-1 portion Lunch; 2 mangoes-2 portions Dinner; 3 tablespoons-3 portions	6
Day 2	Breakfast; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions Lunch; Carrots-1 portion Dinner; 3 tablespoons of cooked beans-3 portions	7
Day 3	Breakfast; Cinnamon porridge and 2 bananas-2 portions Lunch; Butternut squash falafel-2 portions Dinner; Vegetable spaghetti Bolognese-3 portions	7
Day 4	Breakfast; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions Lunch; Carrot and hummus wraps-1 portion Dinner; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions	7
Day 5	Breakfast; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions Lunch; Carrots-1 portion Dinner; 3 tablespoons of cooked beans-3 portions	7
Day 6	Breakfast; Banana porridge-1 portion Lunch; Egg mayo rolls and an apple-2 portions Dinner; 2 bananas-2 portions	5
Day 7	Breakfast; Fruit omelette-2 portions Lunch; Mushroom soup and an apple-2 portions Dinner; Spring chicken with vegetables-3 portions	7
Day 8	Breakfast; Cinnamon porridge and 2 bananas-2 portions Lunch; Butternut squash falafel-2 portions Dinner; 2 tablespoons of spinach and an apple-3 portions	6
Day 9	Breakfast; Banana smoothie-2 portions Lunch; Beans and avocado-2 portions Dinner; Spinach pasta bake-2 portions	6
Day 10	Breakfast; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions Lunch; Carrot and hummus wraps-1 portion Dinner; Blackcurrant Bircher muesli-3 portions	7

Discussion

The intervention helped me consistently attain the minimum fruit and vegetable consumption requirement. Therefore, it is proper to conclude that the intervention steps I took were practical. Self-disciplining played a significant role in helping me accomplish the intervention techniques. Also, I had a goal of accomplishing the threshold requirement, which helped me closely follow the intervention recommendations. Anybody can successfully increase the amount of fruit and vegetable intake by following the intervention method I used since it is simple. After conducting this project, I realized that following the intervention is practical and becomes more memorable with time. Therefore, researchers' recommendations to include fruit and vegetable portions in each meal leads to satisfying results. Replacing snacks with fruits is also an effective way to increase the amount of fruit and vegetable intake

References

Agudo, A. (2020). 2020 - WHO | world health organization. Measuring Intake of Fruits and Vegetables. Retrieved June 25, 2022, from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/332070/9789240005105-eng.pdf

Davis, J. N., Pérez, A., Asigbee, F. M., Landry, M. J., Vandyousefi, S., Ghaddar, R., ... & Van Den Berg, A. E. (2021). School-based gardening, cooking, and nutrition intervention increased vegetable intake but did not reduce BMI: Texas sprouts-a cluster randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 18(1), 1-14. https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-021-01087-x

De Leon, A., Jahns, L., & Casperson, S. L. (2020). Barriers and facilitators to following the dietary guidelines for vegetable intake: Follow-up of an intervention to increase vegetable intake. Food Quality and Preference, 83, 103903. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329319307992

Głąbska, D., Guzek, D., Groele, B., & Gutkowska, K. (2020). Fruit and vegetable intake and mental health in adults: a systematic review. Nutrients, 12(1), 115. https://www.mdpi.com/607868

Hodder, R. K., O'Brien, K. M., Tzelepis, F., Wyse, R. J., & Wolfenden, L. (2020). Interventions for increasing fruit and vegetable consumption in children aged five years and under. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (5). https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD008552.pub7/abstract