How to Set a Dietary SMART Goal
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Goals are a road map to help us succeed: they give us a clear idea of where we want to be and how to get there. Creating a SMART Diet goal is very useful because it is:
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- Specific: You choose concrete actions to help you reach your goal. Choose specific activities you can do to improve your health.
- Measurable: You choose how much will be done, and how you will know when the goal has been achieved. Ask yourself, what, how much, when, and how often?
- Action-oriented: You commit to take action to achieve your goal. Focus on behavior, not outcome (e.g., eat 2 cups of veggies each day vs. lose 2 pounds).
- Realistic: Your goal is achievable given available time and resources.
- Time-based: Your goal can be completed within a specified time frame. Start with a short time frame (e.g., 1–2 weeks so you can monitor your actions).
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Examples: |
- I will add a green salad to my dinner meal 2 nights per week
for the next 2 weeks.
- Starting tonight, I will eat at least 1 fruit or vegetable with
each meal 4 days per week.
- I will choose a fruit or vegetable for a snack instead of
potato chips, candy, or cookies, when watching TV in the evening.
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