25 nutrition goals for healthy eating that you can count day by day

Fruit and vegetable goals

Fruit and vegetable goals are the easiest place to start, because they add something to your plate instead of taking it away.

• Eat 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day for 2 weeks.
• Eat vegetables with lunch and dinner for 30 days.
• Have fruit as your afternoon snack on weekdays for a month.
• Fill half your dinner plate with vegetables for 21 days.
• Try one new vegetable a week for 8 weeks.

Sugar and salt goals

Sugar and salt goals work best as simple rules about one food or one habit, not as grams to add up.

• Have no sugary drinks on weekdays for 30 days.
• Have dessert on 2 days a week for a month.
• Taste your food before you add salt, at every meal for a month.
• Read the sugar and salt lines on every label you buy for 2 weeks.
• Drink your coffee or tea without sugar for 30 days.

Meal and routine goals

Meal goals decide where and when you eat, which shapes what you eat. Cooking more of it yourself is a goal with its own list: cooking goals.

• Cook dinner at home 5 nights a week for a month.
• Plan the week's meals every Sunday for 8 weeks.
• Pack your lunch 4 days a week for a month.
• Eat one meal a day at a table with no screen for 21 days.
• Finish your last meal 2 hours before bed for 3 weeks.

Drink goals

Drink goals are the simplest to count, since each glass is a yes or a no. Evening drinks touch your nights too, which is where sleep goals come in.

• Drink water with every meal for 30 days.
• Carry a water bottle and finish it every day for 3 weeks.
• Have at most one sugary drink a week for 8 weeks.
• Keep weekdays alcohol free for a month.
• Have no caffeine after 2 pm for 30 days.

Food awareness goals

Awareness goals are about noticing what you eat before you try to change it. If a number on the scale is the real aim, weight loss goals cover that side.

• Keep a food log for 14 days.
• Compare the labels of 2 products on every shopping trip for a month.
• Take 20 minutes over dinner every night for 2 weeks.
• Eat only home made meals for 7 days.
• Shop from a written list on every trip for a month.

What is a good nutrition goal?

A good nutrition goal is specific and small enough to do today. A review of 35 years of goal research found that specific, hard goals lead to higher performance than being told to do your best. "Eat healthier" has no test. "Vegetables with lunch and dinner for 30 days" does.

If you want numbers to aim at, the World Health Organization gives three. Eat at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day. Keep free sugars under 10 percent of your daily energy. Keep salt under 5 g a day. Each one can be turned into a daily habit you can tick off.

Decide in advance when the habit happens. Research on if-then plans found a medium to large effect on follow-through from choosing the moment ahead of time. "When I sit down to dinner, half the plate is vegetables" is a plan. If you have a medical condition, ask a doctor or a dietitian first.

How to track nutrition goals

Tick off the day in the evening, yes or no. A review of 138 studies found that people who monitored their progress reached their goals more often, and that recording it beat keeping it in your head.

Eating habits are a day count. Start short: a 7 day challenge is long enough to find out if a habit fits your week, and you can extend it to 30 days if it does.

Aim for most days, not every day. A birthday cake should not end the goal. A picture that fills in one good day at a time shows the weeks adding up.

Frequently asked questions

What are examples of nutrition goals?

Eat vegetables with lunch and dinner for 30 days. Have no sugary drinks on weekdays. Cook dinner at home 5 nights a week. Drink water with every meal. Each one is a yes or no you can answer at the end of the day.

How much fruit and vegetables should I eat a day?

The World Health Organization says everyone over the age of 10 should aim for at least 400 g of fruit and vegetables a day.

How much sugar and salt is too much?

The World Health Organization recommends keeping free sugars under 10 percent of total daily energy, and salt under 5 g a day for adults. Free sugars are the ones added to food and drink, plus those in honey, syrups and fruit juice.

How many nutrition goals should I start with?

One. Add a second only when the first no longer takes any thought. Changing five things at the table at once is the quickest way to change none of them.