Food Choices
Food Choices
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The importance of self-care for mental health!
The importance of self-care for mental health!
The Nourish and Flourish conversation guides promote physical health through nutrition and physical activity while fostering connections to mental well-being. We invite staff, mental health professionals, and facilitators who work in community-based mental health support programs to use the guides to initiate conversations using non-judgmental, trauma-informed messages, and motivational interviewing strategies. Each guide is designed to flow from a discussion about a health topic to goal setting. Individuals ideally set their own goals based on personal needs. The guides offer recommendations. The "How to Use this Guide" page has more detailed information with a brief training video.
Begin the conversation by reading the key messages
Begin the conversation by reading the key messages
Eat mindfully by paying attention to your body while eating.
Variety is key when choosing your meals and snacks.
Rethink your drink by choosing sugar-free drinks when possible.
You can use this Food Choices goal sheet (pdf) to help guide the discussion.
Share important information about food choices
Share important information about food choices
Food can mean different things to different people. For example, do you call it soda or pop? Do you like savory or sweet foods better? What is your favorite way to enjoy food with other people? Would you rather have a snack or a meal? Are you an adventurous eater or less adventurous? The food and beverage choices you make can make a difference in how you feel in your mind and your body.
Choose an open-ended question to reflect on food choices
Choose an open-ended question to reflect on food choices
How do you choose the foods you eat? (What do you eat first thing in the morning? What do you eat when you are hungry? What foods do you like to have for snacks?)
What advice would you give yourself about eating a variety of foods? (How could you eat a variety of foods at breakfast? What is a good snack?)
What comes into your head about your food while eating? (amount, nutrition, location, quality, taste)
Come up with ideas for a specific goal
Come up with ideas for a specific goal
Select a change (ideally goals come from the person, these are just ideas):
Select a change (ideally goals come from the person, these are just ideas):
Be mindful of how my body feels when eating.
Choose a healthy snack (which one will you choose?)
Choose a beverage (which one will you choose?)
Eat fewer foods with added salt.
Help make a plan (be specific -- time, day, action -- and start small):
Help make a plan (be specific -- time, day, action -- and start small):
I will eat one more vegetable each day this week as a snack or for lunch.
Tomorrow I will eat carrots and dip for a snack.
Assess confidence in meeting the goal
Assess confidence in meeting the goal
On a scale of 1-5, how confident are you that you can meet your plan?
Close with quotes of what others said about this topic
Close with quotes of what others said about this topic
“We thought about adding peanuts and calling them ants and beetles on a log. These aren't just for kids - it is a great snack.”
“Yeah, it’s the mindfulness and being grateful, and chewing my food and enjoying it rather than just eating really fast and not being thankful.”
"This was my first time using an air fryer and it makes food taste so much better than an oven! I needed to modify my diet and not eat grease anymore because of gallbladder issues. It crisps up food nicely and I don’t need to add grease to it. I can’t live without my air fryer now!"
— Community Support Program Photovoice Participant
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