Basic nutrition advice (The Dietary Guidelines for Americans), tells you that drinking water, eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, fish, lean meats, nuts, and legumes while limiting alcohol, sugar sweetened beverages, added sugars, sodium, fatty meats, and ultra-processed foods is what you are supposed to be doing to eat healthy.
The problem is there is a huge disconnect between “knowing what to do” and “actually doing it” (Figure 1.). If eating healthy was just a matter of “knowing what to do”, everyone would already be doing it. But eating healthy isn’t about the food, it’s about all the other parts of your life that “get in the way” and become obstacles to your healthy eating.
While everyone’s life is unique and so are their mix of obstacles, many of us face the same challenges to eating healthy and/or losing weight. However, most of us don’t have access to or the money for a (full-time) personal chef, dietitian or trainer. To help as many people as possible a) identify and b) overcome their obstacles I have created a 32-question survey that you can take on your own.
In a nutshell, The Obstacle Meter contains the same questions I would ask you as a dietitian in a counseling session and their potential solutions based on your answers. Each obstacle contains several potential solutions, all you have to do is choose one to implement in your own life. My hope is that by taking The Obstacle Meter you will come to a better understanding of what your obstacles are and to choose a few solutions that are right for you and your unique life.