Contemplation

Goals for Client Intervention:

Encourage the examination of pros and cons for better nutrition.

Promote confidence in their ability to make healthier food choices.

Intervention Options:

ADVISE:

• Emphasize the benefits of healthy eating.
  Healthy eating reduces the risks for cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, some cancers, osteoporosis, and being overweight.

ASSIST:

• Encourage talking about their reasons for being concerned about what they eat.
  What foods do you think you should eat more of or less of ?
• Encourage talking about how they could change the way they eat.
  What healthier food choice would be hardest (easiest) for you to make?
• Encourage examining some barriers to healthier eating.
  What is one thing that makes it difficult for you to change what you eat?
• Gently offer possible solutions that have worked for others.
  Some people have tried __________ to get around that.
• Foster a positive belief in their ability to do it.
  Starting with one small change at a time until that feels comfortable is how to gradually change how you eat.
• Provide information.
  Canada’s Food Guide gives good reasons for healthy eating and the resources below provide additional information and interesting quizzes.

Resource Options (Click to order):

Eating Well with Canada's Food Guide
Is for people 2 years and over.  Detailed recommendations for the number of servings from each of the four food groups are based on age and gender.

Future Intervention:

ASK:

• Have you thought more about the importance of healthy eating to lower your risk for__________?  

Click on Preparation (or whatever stage they are at) below for examples of what the health professional might say to clients. These are suggestions to stimulate your thinking about what you want to say to that particular client.