Think about your food consumption over the past two or three days. Does it reflect, essentially, the recommendations listed above? To which guidelines do you currently adhere regularly?

Which ones are more difficult for you to implement in your daily diet?

Choose one or two of the ten nutrition basics listed above that you will implement over the next few weeks. Don’t burden yourself with trying to change everything at once. Write a contract with yourself stating what you will do, how long you will continue to do it, and what you will move on to next. For instance: “From now until the end of the month, I will eat at least one fresh fruit each day, and I will cut down on my use of table salt. Next month I will work on eating at least one serving of raw or lightly steamed vegetables every day.”

You may find it helpful to tape this contract onto your refrigerator or to share this exercise with a friend—someone who will remind you of your contract and encourage you to uphold it. Invite your friend to do the same.

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