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Set and monitor nutrition goals
Photo: Pexels, Sarah Chai
Most people who try to make changes in their health behaviours, such as eating more healthfully or being more physically active, will discover that making changes isn’t easy. To greatly enhance the chances of success, experts in the field of behaviour change advise using a structured approach. One proven approach to health behaviour change is:
- Set a goal
- Build commitment to the goal
- Make a plan
- Monitor and problem-solve
You can learn about this approach in the behaviour change section of the Health and Wellness website or by downloading the "How to effectively set, achieve and maintain health goals" workbook [PDF].
Below are three sheets you can use to monitor a nutrition goal. They have varying levels of specificity. The sheets are interactive: you can download and complete them on your computer or other device.
Instructions for using the monitoring sheets
We recommend the following system to help keep track of your nutrition monitoring sheets:
- Download the interactive PDF file of the monitoring sheet(s) you would like to use, and change the name to indicate that this will be your master file (e.g. Nutrition monitoring sheet MASTER)
- Make a copy of the PDF and name it with the dates that you will be monitoring; for example, “Nutrition monitoring Feb 1 – 7.”
- Once you have completed all days of monitoring on a sheet, make another copy from the MASTER and rename it accordingly (e.g., “Nutrition monitoring Feb 8 – 14”). Store all you competed monitoring sheets in one folder so you can refer to them later and track progress.
Completing the sheets
At the end of the day, reflect on the foods you consumed. Open the current monitoring file and enter the date on one section. Select the boxes that correspond to the quality of your diet for that day.
If you achieved your goal today - great! Keep doing what you are doing.
If you did not achieve your nutrition goal today identify the reasons why and think about the changes you can make to overcome these barriers to healthy eating. Work towards making those changes.
The problem-solving sheet [PDF] can help you with this process.
Download the monitoring sheet [PDF]
This sheet can be used to monitor a nutrition goal that is based on the simplest guidelines for eating healthfully, which are to consume a diet that is very rich in plants foods and to focus on whole foods.
The goal that this sheet monitors is that everyday:
- Plant foods will make up most of the foods I consume
- Whole foods—and minimally processed foods—will make up most of the foods I consume
Plant foods are foods that come from a plant. Plant foods include fruit, vegetables, grains, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds and plant oils (e.g. olive oil), as well as foods that are made from these such as whole grain breads and cereals, vegetable pasta sauces, and veggie patties.
Whole foods are foods as they appear in nature. They have not been changed (processed) in any way. Examples of whole foods are an apple, an egg or a walnut.
Minimally processed foods are foods that have been changed slightly. Rolled oats, shelled nuts, pasteurized milk and frozen berries are examples of minimally processed foods.
In a healthy diet, processed foods—and especially highly processed (ultra processed) foods—are consumed infrequently. These include hot dogs, deli meats, fast food hamburgers, chicken nuggets, sweetened breakfast cereal, instant noodles, frozen pizza, cheese crackers and much more.
Download the monitoring sheet [PDF]
Canada's Food Guide suggests an eating pattern that is rich in plant foods and whole foods (i.e. same as the general nutrition goal above), but it is more specific as it recommends proportions of food groups.
The goal that this sheet monitors is that everyday:
- Half (1/2) of the food I consume is vegetables and fruit (with more vegetables than fruit),
- One quarter (1/4) of the food I consume is grain foods (with a focus on whole grain foods)
- One quarter (1/4) of the foods I consume is protein foods (with plant protein foods, such as beans, nuts or soy, included).
This monitoring sheet also includes a recommendation of 2-4 tbsp of oils/fats, with a focus on plant oils such as olive oil. Finally, this sheet has a section to monitor “other” foods and drinks such as fast-food burgers and pizza, chips, cake, ice cream, energy drinks, soda, alcohol and juice. It is recommended that “other” foods comprise no more than 10% of a person’s daily calories, which is about 150-300 calories for most people.
Download the monitoring sheet [PDF]
A SMART nutrition goal is on that is: Specific, Measuable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-bound. SMART goals have the greatest level of detail and are associated with greater chances of achieving the goal.
A SMART nutrition goal includes a specific number of servings of vegetables and fruit, grain foods, protein foods and oils/fats, as well as the number of calories of “other foods.” These are based on your own energy needs and weight goals.
Consult “How to set a SMART nutrition goal” for information on how to calculate your own SMART nutrition goal. This document also contains information on how to use the monitoring sheet and an example of a completed monitoring sheet.
