getting started - the practical side

begin by keeping a list for a few days of all the foods you eat. don't judge, just keep a list. notice when you feel like eating, notice what you choose to eat. notice how much of what you eat is determined by other people.

for example, women who are the primary caregivers in their families frequently make food choices based on the likes, dislikes, needs and preferences of the people they're preparing food for. the only problem with this approach, however, is that it potentially ignores the fact that an adult woman will have different nuitritional requirements from adult men and growing children.

once you have a list of four or five days, notice what kinds of foods you tend to eat. what colors are the foods you are already eating? how many grain or grain-containing products are you eating each day? how many times and in what forms are you getting your "white food" - that is, your protein? how much food or liquid containing artificial sweetners are you consuming? create a chart for each day with categories for red, orange, yellow, green, blue/purple/black foods, white - or complete protein - foods and brown, or grain foods. from your list, fill in each category for each day you kept track.

now, you can assess how closely you may already be following these guidelines... or not.